An Alternative Season Two
by IndianSummer
Summary: 2.01- Grace is forced to define her relationship with Luke after her summer secret is revealed; Helen learns her job's in danger; there's a new lead in the Raphael case; Joan and Iris let the past be the past; Kevin and Lila team up when Beth gets engaged
1. 124 Bring Me Up To Zero

Author: Summer [Indian Summer]

1.24- Bring Me Up To Zero

Date Published: 7.01.2004

Episode Guide- As Joan tries to regain the ground she lost in her confession to Adam, Adam struggles to overcome his doubts. Meanwhile, Luke tries to define his relationship with Grace as she tries to forget it. Kevin meets up with Beth. The murder of teenage Jessica Raphael leaves all of Arcadia reeling… especially Joan, as she learns she had a lot in common with Jessica.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Joan of Arcadia.

Lila Carson is played by Taylor Cole.

This chapter/episode serves as an alternative Season One finale, happening after 1.23. It is written as if it were an episode.

Thanks Leia for acting as my beta!

* * *

As Adam walked down Mill Pond Road, the sun was just starting to rise, casting eerie shadows and making the world look grainy and dull. It was the time of day an artist loved, where everything was open to interpretation and potential loomed in the shadows. These early morning walks had been his only solace since his mother's premature death three and a half years before. That is, until Jane.

Normally, thoughts of Jane made Adam smile involuntarily, and for a moment he'd be free from the desolation that seemed forever bound to him. But only for a moment.

Now, unbidden, a voice taunted him with it's repetition, over and over again, goading, "Everything will change. Everything will change." He was happy Joan was going to be okay, happy she wouldn't be fighting her own demons for the rest of her life. But the doctor had said she'd go back to being however she'd been before.

He only knew what she was like now. He was attracted to her fluidity, how on a whim she'd quit chess and join ballet, having no previous interest in it. Unlike so many of his other classmates, she was honest in that she didn't know what she wanted to do tomorrow, let alone ten years from now. Her impulsivity didn't scare him. Like a true artist, Adam realized her flaws were what made her special. They were the mismatched hues in a Poussin, blended so subtly they changed a simple portrait to a masterpiece.

The sun rose over the trees, streaking the sky with pinks, oranges, and reds. Still the thought lingered. How different would she be?

* * *

Joan would never understand why doctors were so adamant about patients getting a good night's sleep under their care. Every time her eyelids grew heavy and the world around her started to fade, a nurse chose that moment to enter, bright and perky, a needle in hand. She was starting to wonder if God really did exist, and this was just yet another cruel joke.

As the nurse came near, Joan rolled over in protest, mumbling nonsensically about cruel and unusual punishment.

"Joan, it's time for me to take your temperature. If you cooperate this will go much quicker and you'll be able to get back to sleep."

"No," Joan grumbled, pushing her head further down into the pillow.

"Cooperation is a means toward eternal gratification, Joan."

Joan, groaned, flipping over on her side and opening one eye to look at the nurse. She was a thirty-something platinum blonde wearing the signature loose-fitting white frock of a uniform. Joan hadn't seen her before. "You know my name and you're spouting out confusing phrases," Joan babbled, glaring at the nurse. "Are you… you? What are you going to do now? Sentence me to eternal damnation for turning against you?"

The nurse frowned. "I have the 6-2 shift, Joan. And your records have your name. It's okay. Once we get your fever down a little more, everything will make sense again."

Tears welled in Joan's eyes as she grasped the meaning of this. "You aren't you. Okay. So I was screwed over again. Great." She stopped fighting and let the nurse insert the thermometer into her ear as a single tear crept down her cheek.

**OPENING CREDITS **

Generally, Grace Polk didn't let things disturb her, especially not enough to disrupt her sleep. The events of the previous day had been an exception.

When the rays of the early morning sun reached her window and cast a natural light across her small room, she was already up, white knuckled as she pulled on the laces of a blue chuck, very possibly cutting off circulation to her foot in the process.

Hearing a hesitant knock, she glanced up at the door as her father eased it open. He'd been very good about her privacy since the time he'd walked in on her changing during freshman year, only to discover she had breasts.

"Grace?"

"What?" she grunted, knotting the laces.

"I was seeing if you were up. I have to go to the synagogue, but I wanted to tell you there's some grapes and apple slices in the fridge for you. And to remember you promised to help pack at 6:30."

He tried, he really did. Grace nodded. "Okay."

"Bye Grace. I love you." He seemed to pause, as if expecting her to respond, but she looked up blankly. He shook his head, resigned to a relationship with his daughter in a perpetually changing state of limbo.

* * *

Helen Girardi liked to think her emotional strength had increased since Kevin's accident, that she could handle anything life threw at her. Seeing Joan like this brought her back to that same dark place she'd been over a year earlier, where not even her sleep was safe from worry.

Even though the doctors had repeatedly assured her Joan would be okay, she'd camped out on the sofa for the night, keeping a vigil by Joan's bedside. In her weak mental state, she'd convinced herself she wasn't going to fall for that again. When she'd left Kevin's bedside, just long enough to get a cup of coffee, everything had gone horribly wrong.

"Mom."

Helen's head snapped up at Joan's mumbling, and in response she whispered, "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Cold," Joan said softly, and in her attempt to reach out for her mother's hand, she dragged the IV with her. "Ouch."

Helen smiled and approached the bed. "Your fever went down, honey. You're going to be okay." She perched on the corner of the bed, and Joan rested her head on her lap. Helen sighed, running a hand through her daughter's matted hair.

* * *

Until yesterday, science had only failed Luke Girardi once. And even then, he'd been able to convince himself that Kevin's accident had simply been a metaphysical occurrence, something the events of the previous months had been leading up to.

But try as he may, he could not explain yesterday in terms of science. He'd looked at the medical science behind Joan's illness. He'd even provided a metaphysical reason for Joan's sudden preoccupation with God and the devil.

He'd given Grace the scientific theories for Darwinistic evolution that supported the existence of love. And he'd almost been able to fool himself into believing it was true. But then she'd done something that not even Galileo could've predicted. She'd kissed him. And that shouldn't have happened. Grace Polk was like Helium. She was strong and sturdy, and avoided bonds as if her life depended on it. She was supposed to be a constant.

He glanced up at the elevator control panel, as the light bounced from floor 2 to 3. He hoped science was right and Joan would be okay.

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

"Who called it in?" Will Girardi asked as a uniform flicked on the lights in a parking garage to reveal the body of a teenage girl, barely covered in a blood soaked sarong and a ripped tank top.

"Those two over there," Detective Toni Williams responded, nodding to a young couple standing as far away from the body as possible. "Apparently this is Arcadia's version of Lovers' Lane," she added sarcastically.

"I'm so happy my kids have no problem making out right in front of me," Will muttered, kneeling down next to the body.

"A uniform found her wallet. There's no I.D. though. Only possible lead I see is a phone number scribbled on a piece of paper. When we get back to the station, I'll try it."

Will nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the girl. "She's probably between fifteen and seventeen. Asian descent. Has the M.E. seen her?"

"Yeah," Toni nodded. "The scene has been photographed, too."

"Good." Will gingerly picked up the girl's hand, his fingers tracing the girl's arm. "Some scratches. Small. Maybe from an animal? I don't think they're drug related, but it's worth checking out." Will froze, suddenly noticing the girl's position. "Toni, will you get those kids over here?"

* * *

If he weren't a man of science, Luke would've tried to reach out and touch the silence. It was so thick it felt stifling, and his respiratory system was starting to notice. He was leaning back in one of the hospital waiting room chairs, wringing his hands together nervously, as he had been doing for the past fifteen minutes.

"Will you stop? Seriously, Geek, it's getting annoying."

And she spoke. Luke looked up at Grace, barely having the confidence to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't apologize," Grace huffed.

Luke nodded. "Um, are we going to talk about what happened?"

"Look, Geek. Nothing happened." Her eyes seemed to hold a warning, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.

"We kissed."

"And your point is?"

"That's not nothing, Grace. That's something. Technically speaking, nothing is the absence of-"

"He-e-e-y. Stop before you start doing that irritating science talk. Nothing happened. Like I said before, I'm not into you. Got it?"

Luke held up both hands in mock resignation. "You know, the last time you said that…"

Grace groaned and stood up. "Whatever, Geek."

Luke watched as she walked away, grinning. Reflecting on an earlier time, he called after her, "You can't unring a bell."

Grace stopped suddenly, and without turning around, added, "But you can stop ringing it."

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

It was time for Kevin Girardi to get a haircut when it covered his eyes. He blew at his hair as he wheeled down the dairy aisle of the supermarket, but it fell right back over his face. Gritting his teeth, he turned his chair so it was facing the glass refrigeration system and studied his reflection. He ran a hand through his hair, irritated.

"You always did spend too much time on that hair," a soft voice behind him said.

There was no need to turn around. He could see her reflection. "Hey, Beth."

"Hi, Kevin." She shifted uncomfortably as Kevin turned around to look at her. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good." He really didn't want to be here, doing this. "And how are you? Don't you have a boyfriend? Where is he?"

Smooth, Kevin. As Beth's face fell, he mentally kicked himself. He stifled a smirk. Wasn't like he physically could've, anyway.

"We broke up. He wanted to get married and… well, I wasn't really ready for that."

"Marriage." Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Wow."

Beth smiled softly. "Yeah. It seemed like just yesterday when we were in high school, all worried about what colleges we were going to go to."

"And look how far that got me," Kevin replied, attempting dark humor.

Beth sighed. "That's not funny, Kevin."

"I know." He opened a door and pulled three half gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

"Who's that for?"

"Us. If you'll join me tonight in a pity party where we look back on the days of high school and complain about everything that has changed since then."

Beth smiled softy. "I'm not sure, Kevin. Is that… you know what? Yeah, sure. What time?"

"I'll get back from the hospital around 6." He paused, realizing Beth wouldn't know about Joan. "My sister's there. She has Lyme Disease."

"Oh. Tell her I hope she feels better." Beth pursed her lips, checking her watch. "So, say, 6:30?"

Kevin smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

"Jane."

Joan looked toward the door to find Adam standing there, a handful of wildflowers in his hand. She offered him a weak smile, adjusting in the bed to make room for him. "Hey Adam."

He stared at her for a moment, and Joan couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Did he think she was crazy? He'd had the whole night to consider what she'd told him.

He walked over to the bed and sat down slowly, in a subtle gesture to avoid causing her pain. She didn't bother explaining to him that how he positioned himself wasn't going to soothe her achy joints.

"I wanted to talk to you about what you said yesterday," Adam said softly, his voice tender. His gaze was warm and reassuring.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you. It was just a hallucination. God doesn't exist," Joan backpedaled uneasily, still not convinced this was salvageable.

"Jane…" His tone seemed pained, and Joan froze. He shifted his gaze to her hand, and placing his own gently over it, murmured, "I don't think you're crazy. It's just… hard for me to believe, Jane. Too hard. Ever since my mom died… I just don't see how a higher power could exist."

Joan ran her thumb soothingly along the side of his hand, waiting for him to renew their eye contact. "Then where do you think your mom is?" she asked. "Don't you want to think she's happy now, more happy than she was in life?"

Adam shifted uncomfortably, his hand jerking slightly at her comment. "I don't know, Jane. I guess I haven't thought about it much."

But as Adam raised his gaze to her own and Joan realized he was lying, she couldn't bring herself to call him on it.

* * *

It wasn't procedure to conduct a second questioning at the crime scene, especially in the presence of a gruesome murder, but Will hoped it would create the effect he desired.

"You two are sure you didn't touch the body?"

The girl, Anna, was the more vocal of the two. "I swear we didn't, officer. I mean, that's nasty. We were too freaked out," she said, tucking a strand of golden blonde hair behind her ear. "I mean, there's _blood._"

Anna's jeans were slung low on her hips and her tank top stopped a few inches above her navel, exposing a silver belly button ring.

The guy, Dave, was at least a foot taller than her. Chains hung from his black bondage pants and he had a ratty Misfits T-shirt on. His hair was dyed black and he had an eyebrow ring. Interesting couple.

"And you didn't see anything before we got here?"

Dave cleared his throat. "Nah. We were, erm, otherwise occupied?"

It took all of Will's strength not to roll his eyes. "Okay. Expect us to be in contact with you. And just a tip, kids. The next time you want to 'occupy' yourselves, don't go to a dark garage."

He stared at the dead girl in silence as the teens walked away. For such a brutal and clearly sexual crime, why had the killer bothered to pose her with her legs crossed and her hands covering her breasts?

* * *

Kevin paused outside Joan's hospital room when he heard her talking. He cracked the door and peeked inside to find her sitting hand in hand with Adam. "Sorry to ruin a Kodak moment," he teased, pushing the door open and rolling into the room. "But this box is going to well, freeze my balls off if I don't set it down," he gestured to a box of ice cream.

"Ugh. Kevin…" Joan's face contorted with disgust.

Kevin smirked. "You're a chick, Joan. Of course you don't get it."

"Yeah, whatever. Just hand over the mint chocolate chip." Joan held out a hand expectantly.

"You think I'm going to make it that easy?" Kevin laughed, wheeling over to her.

"What?" Joan snarled, leaning forward and glaring at her brother. "You can't wave ice cream in front of my face and then-"

"Yeah, come on, man, she's sick," Adam piped in, sharing a sickly sweet smile with Joan.

Kevin held up his hands in mock defeat. "A hug?"

Joan nodded, leaning over the side of the bed to give Kevin a hug. Patting him on the back, she pulled away. "Now how about that ice cream?"

* * *

"We were able to identify the victim by her fingerprints," a uniform told Toni and Will when they returned to the office later that day.

Will raised an eyebrow. "She has a record?"

The uniform shook his head. "No, actually she doesn't. Her mom had her fingerprints taken during elementary school. Arcadia Elementary has a day where the parents can have their kids fingerprinted, you know, in case they go missing or something."

Toni nodded impatiently. "Who is she?"

"Jessica Lynn Raphael. Age 16. 118 West Street," the uniform responded, holding out a case folder.

"Have her parents been notified?" Will asked, taking the folder.

"Yeah. One of the officers went to pick up her father ten minutes ago. He should be back with him soon."

"Send him in to me when he gets here," Will said with a nod, dismissing the uniform.

"Sixteen years old," Toni shook her head.

"My daughter's sixteen."

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

"I'll be right back, Jane. I'm going to go ask the nurse to get you some water." Adam got up, then turned back to the bed and hesitantly placed a kiss on Joan's forehead.

Joan watched him leave and closed her eyes, figuring she'd have a few minutes to rest. Then she heard the footsteps. "Why are you back already?" she asked, opening her eyes.

It wasn't Adam. She took in the brown corduroy jacket and spiky hair. "What happened to free will? If I don't believe in you, shouldn't you have stopped popping in?"

"I don't pop, Joan. I can appear, walk, even hop. But I don't 'pop' in. But I think we've already established this."

"Whatever. You didn't answer my question."

"You know the answer, Joan. It's within you."

Joan groaned. "Can you be anymore vague? No? I didn't think so."

"Joan…" His voice seemed almost pained and he walked to the side of her bed. "Your having a crisis of faith doesn't mean I don't exist for others."

Joan let out a disbelieving laugh. "You're the one who abandoned me. It wasn't the other way around."

"My presence is only stronger during crises, Joan. Learn to be open to all possibilities."

Joan narrowed her eyes. "See? _This_ is how I know you're just a hallucination. Why would God's presence be stronger in someone who doesn't believe in Him?"

He just shook his head sadly.

* * *

Adam glanced around as a nurse filled a cup of water for him. The clock read 5:30. Jane always made him lose track of time. He thanked the nurse as she handed him the cup and stepped back into the hall to find Grace walking by.

"Grace," he called after her.

She turned slowly, an eyebrow raised. "Rove."

"I didn't know you were going to be here. Don't you have to leave for that trip with your dad soon?"

Grace narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk about that. And it's tomorrow."

"Oh, right." Adam sighed, looking down at the cup of water. "My shift started at 5:00."

"You get slower by the day," Grace responded sarcastically. "You're half an hour late, Rove."

"Yeah, I know." He paused, meeting her gaze. "Would you do me a favor, Grace?"

"What?" she asked, her tone suspicious.

"I promised Jane I'd bring her some water. But I have to go. So would you just give her this cup?" He stopped, realizing it must've been hard for Grace to be at the hospital. "You can leave right after…"

Grace sighed, holding out her hand. "Okay, Rove. But only because I still owe you."

* * *

There were times he resented Kevin and Joan because of the attention his parents gave them. And now was one of those times. "So since you're coming home tomorrow, I'm not going to leave until the next day, so I'll miss orientation and the first few days," he said from his seat next to Joan's bed.

Joan lifted her eyes to meet his. "Thanks, Luke. I'm sure you won't miss anything important, right?"

Luke leaned back. "Honestly? I'm almost happy I don't have to go right away. Because Glynis is going to be there, and she's still mad at me for breaking up with her."

"Awkward."

"Yeah. And I'm still trying to figure out where I stand with Grace, so-"

"What?" Joan asked, her eyes widening.

Luke's cheeks reddened and he broke eye contact. "I don't know, it's complicated."

"What is?"

"Nothing. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Well, you did. And Grace is my friend. So tell me what you're talking about."

Luke frowned. "Nothing. She said it. It's nothing."

"But you don't think so."

She always did this. She always meddled and got involved in situations that had nothing to do with her. Luke shook his head, frustrated. He couldn't win. "It's nothing, Joan. I walked her home from the hospital last night and we talked. That's all."

"Oh. You're so boring, Luke. I thought it was going to be something interesting, un-Grace-like."

Un-Grace-like. That was one way to put it.

* * *

When the doorbell rang, Kevin had just started to wonder whether or not Beth was going to stand him up. He wheeled out of the kitchen eagerly, then counted to three and opened the door.

She stood outside, fidgeting as she looked at him. She'd pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and she had little makeup on. She was wearing a loose knee length skirt and a pink V-neck shirt. "Hi," she said softly, offering him a small smile.

"Hey," he grinned, wheeling back a little bit to allow her entrance. "Come in. The ice cream's in the freezer. I'll go get it."

Beth stepped inside, handing him a plastic bag. "I figured if we were going to throw a pity party, we might as well do it in style," she said.

Kevin looked inside the bag. A yearbook. Videotapes of his wins. A photo album. Letters. "It's a good thing I bought a lot of ice cream."

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

Kevin had been able to transfer himself from the wheelchair to the couch, and now he was sitting with Beth as they looked through their yearbook.

Beth pointed at a picture with her spoon. "There's Regina. Do you remember her? She was the exchange student in my Lit class."

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, kind of." He flipped the page and studied a picture of himself, Beth, Andy, and Andy's girlfriend, Tiffany, at the Senior Prom. They were all smiling, with their arms around each other. "Wow."

Beth's gaze flickered across the picture. "It's weird to think it was just over a year ago, huh?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"I still talk to Andy and his family."

Kevin looked at her. "I don't. After the accident, I couldn't talk to any of them."

"I know." Beth smiled sadly. "They're doing okay, though."

He didn't understand why he'd ever cheated on her. She always knew just what he needed to hear. He took a scoop of ice cream and looked at her. Her eyes held a silent understanding.

* * *

Grace hated hospitals. They made her uncomfortable, and so many of her bad memories were related to hospitals. "Joan," she greeted, opening the door to her friend's room. "Rove realized his shift started half an hour ago and asked me to give you this," she said, holding up the cup of water.

Joan frowned. "Thanks."

"Yeah." Grace handed her the cup and stood awkwardly at her side. "So, uh, how are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Still hallucinating? Although I could buy that Price is the devil." Grace smirked.

"No," Joan said quickly.

"Oh. Cool. Um… my dad's making me go on some vacation with him tomorrow morning. I wanted to stop by…"

"Thanks Grace." Joan studied the girl, her eyes narrowing as she took in her unusually restless behavior. "What's going on with you and my brother?"

Grace's eyes widened. "I'm going to kill him. What did he tell you?"

Joan thought for a minute. "Everything. We're a very open family."

Grace's eyes darted around the room, as if judging the nearest escape. "I only kissed him because he took me off guard," she said defensively.

Joan's mouth hung open as she echoed Grace. "Kissed him?"

"You said he told you everything," Grace accused. Rolling her eyes, she added, "Close the mouth, Girardi. You look like a fish."

Joan's face contorted with disgust. "Ew. Grace, you're my friend. You can't be making out with my brother."

"I didn't make out with him. Now, seriously. Close your mouth." Grace glanced at the clock on Joan's nightstand. "Uh, I've gotta go. Promised my dad I'd help him finish packing tonight. See you in a few weeks."

"Grace!" Joan rolled her eyes as Grace hurried from the room.

* * *

Luke glanced up as he heard Joan's door slam. Grace stood by the door, her eyes angry. She saw him staring and glared at him.

Luke looked away quickly, his leg bouncing nervously. This couldn't be good. He heard her walk over and he could feel her presence next to him. He looked up reluctantly.

"You." She spat it as if she'd just stepped in manure. "I need to talk to you. _Now_."

Luke nodded, standing up nervously. "Uh?"

She led him to an elevator and pressed the button. They stood in stony silence as they waited for the elevator to return. There was a dinging as the elevator reached them, and as the door slid open, she grabbed him and pulled him into the elevator with her.

"What?" he asked uncomfortably as the doors shut.

"You talked to Joan," she said, her eyes accusing. Her hands flew up from her sides, emphasizing her words.

"She's my sister."

"You talked to her about us," she countered, her voice angry.

The corner of Luke's upper lip curved into a half-smile. "So you admit there's an us."

Grace groaned in frustration. "No. It was nothing, Luke. _What_ did you tell her?"

"That it was nothing," he responded, sustaining eye contact. "But clearly it was something if it has you this upset."

"That's not what this is about," Grace hissed. "This is about the fact that Joan's my friend. Don't-"

"I think it is about us. I think you're too afraid to admit that there's something between us, because it's easier for you to act like you don't care about anyone."

"Stop."

"I think this is you not wanting to get hurt. I think the only reason you won't admit that you like me is because you're afraid." His voice was rising, and the elevator bell rang, signaling they were one floor closer to their destination.

"Luke, this isn't about _us,_" Grace cried, exasperated. Luke held up a hand as if to silence her, but she forced it back down with her own. "It's _not._"

"I beg to differ. I think this is entirely about us. And you want to know the truth? I _did _break up with Glynis because of you, Grace. Everyone's always going to be second best as long as you're here," Luke shouted back at her.

Grace froze. "Stop," she repeated, her voice softening.

"No," Luke said quietly, still staring at her.

She shook her head. "I can't do this. I don't want to do this, Luke."

Luke nodded, and the elevator bell rang again and the door opened. Grace brushed past him and Luke watched her leave, unable to do anything about it. He leaned his head against the wall, exasperated, as people started to filter in.

* * *

"Jessie… that's what we all call her… _called _her. She was acting weird lately. But I never thought…"

Will raised an eyebrow as he took in the disheveled man's words. "Weird how? Was she acting depressed?"

Mr. Raphael shook his head quickly. "No, no. She was, I don't know, drifting. I took her to a psychologist, but she said it was just normal teenage behavior."

"Drifting how?"

"Her interests were always changing. One week she'd be trying out for band, and the next she'd be writing for the school paper. She was out past curfew a few times, but she was never a bad kid, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Will sighed. "I know this must be hard for you to talk about, but did you notice any other differences? Was she hanging out with a different crowd? Did she have a boyfriend?"

Mr. Raphael nodded. "She had a few. She didn't want a serious relationship, she said. Most of her friends were the same. She had a few new ones, but they were just from her classes. That kind of thing."

"Did _anyone _stand out?"

"There was one girl she started hanging out with this year. Lila Something? She's a freshman at Arcadia College." He glanced at the clock. "She takes a lot of night classes, I think," he volunteered.

Will nodded. "Can you give me a description of Lila? What did she look like?"

"She's a pretty kid. Dark hair, greenish eyes. Pretty tall, maybe 5'10?"

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

There was only one Lila at Arcadia College. Lila Carson, age 19. Originally from Los Angeles, and she worked as a model. Will and Toni had been searching the campus for her for over an hour now.

"Will, that's got to be her! Look!" Toni pointed to a girl exiting a Russian Literature class.

Will's eyes focused in on the girl and he nodded. "Yeah. I think it is."

They caught up with her as she was walking away from the building. "Lila Carson?" Toni called.

The girl stopped. "Yeah?"

Will cleared his throat. "I'm Detective Girardi and this is Detective Williams. Do you know a Jessica Raphael?"

Lila's eyes darted back and forth between Will and Toni. "Yeah. Did something happen to her?"

"You could say that." Will sighed and led Lila away from the rest of the students. "Lila, Jessica was murdered late last night."

Lila's hand flew to her mouth and she whimpered. "Jessie? Who would do something like that to her?"

"We're hoping you can help us with that," Will responded. "Can we ask you a few questions?"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead," Lila answered, setting her bag down on the grass and sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

Will and Toni sat down on the bench facing her. "How did you know Jessica?" Toni asked gently.

"We were partners in crime." Lila winced. "Right, cops. Sorry. I didn't mean it that way… we were friends."

* * *

Grace had lived at 616 Mill Pond Road for as long as she could remember, but it had never been 'home' to her. As she stood outside waiting for her father to get back, she silently cursed herself for having forgotten her key.

His car pulled up and she almost smiled. Almost. She watched as he pulled to a stop and exited the car. "Why are you outside?" he called to her as he walked over, holding a square box.

"Didn't grab my key this morning," she responded.

"How many times have I told you to put it in your coat or something? It's not like that thing ever comes off your body," he added, gesturing to her black leather coat.

It wasn't entirely true, but she didn't bother to respond. "Hurry up. I've got to pack."

He opened the door, gesturing for her to enter. "How about we have dinner first? I got pizza," he said, gesturing to the box.

"Okay." She grabbed the box and brushed past him and walked toward the kitchen.

Rabbi Polonski followed her in, stopping by the fridge and pulling a photo off of it. The photo showed a five year old Grace being pushed on a swing by her mother.

"What are you doing?" Grace asked as she poured a cup of milk.

"Looking at this picture. Did you know that last week, I found it off the fridge?" He held it up for her to inspect, his eyebrows raised.

Grace rolled her eyes. "I had a friend over. A very nosy, meddlesome friend." She stopped and with a raised eyebrow that mirrored his own, added, "Joan. I think you've met her. I didn't feel like it explaining it."

Rabbi Polonski frowned. "Explaining what? That your mother was a beautiful woman and you loved her to death?"

Grace snatched the picture away from him. "She wouldn't have stopped there. She would've asked why we have such an old picture up, and why she's not here anymore, and-"

"Grace, I've talked to your friend. And while she's definitely more than a little meddlesome, as you put it, I think you'll be happier if you let someone in."

Grace narrowed her eyes and shoved her father's plate across the table, taking a bite of her own pizza in the process. Her stare seemed to stop the conversation cold.

* * *

It was getting dark when Will and Toni came back to the station with Lila. Will was surprised by the brunette's transformation since they'd stopped her outside her class. Hours before, she'd been a confident young woman, sure of her beauty and her place in the world. Now, she'd been reduced to a frightened child, her knees drawn to her chest as Toni held out a cup of tea.

Lila took a delicate sip. "Thank you."

Clearing his throat, Will continued the line of questioning. "You were telling me that Jessica had been hanging around a guy… Aidan, you said. What did you think about their relationship?"

Lila shrugged. "I didn't, really. I thought they were dating at first, but they didn't seem very romantic. I guess they were just friends. He was cute, though."

"Did you ever talk to Aidan?"

"A couple times. He was pretty elusive. Always had something to do, you know? He'd drop by randomly while I was at Jessie's, though. He seemed cool."

"Do you think he would've been capable of hurting Jessica?"

Lila shook her head. "No, not at all. He was sweet, even a little shy." She paused. "But I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt Jessie. So God only knows…"

"Do you have any idea where we could find Aidan, Lila?" Toni asked gently, her eyes telling Will to back off.

Lila shook her head. "Like I said, he's elusive. When he wants to, he'll show up."

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

"We don't have squat," Will complained to Toni after Lila had left. "She couldn't give us a last name for Aidan or even a good description. And was I the only one, or did it seem like she was leaving something out?"

"Her story was full of holes, Will. For all we know, she was jealous of Jessica's relationship with Aidan. She was awfully vague…"

"That girl's going to lawyer up fast." Will sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't even know where to go from here. Everything about Jessica seems mysterious. I'm not even sure if Aidan's real."

Toni sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, Will…"

"Yeah, I know. There's nothing we can do now. I'll go home and sleep on it. Do the same." With a wry smile, Will added, "You look horrible."

Toni rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

* * *

Kevin stared at Beth's profile as she watched one of his high school football games. They'd fallen into an uncomfortable silence almost half an hour before, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. The camera had caught Jeannie Heron during a cheerleading segment.

"She didn't mean anything to me," he said softly, watching her.

Beth blinked slowly. "I know."

"What do you mean you know?" Kevin frowned. "Then why are you so-"

Beth turned to him slowly. "Kevin…" He could tell she was fighting back tears. "That's what made it hurt more. You were willing to throw away our relationship for something that didn't mean anything. You broke up with me because you didn't want your friends to think you weren't cool."

"Hey! I _was_ cool," he attempted to joke, but Beth just shook her head.

"I don't think you get it, Kevin," Beth said, standing up and ejecting the tape. "I have to go. I guess I'll see you later."

Kevin watched sadly as she left, unsure of what to say. He shook his head as the door slammed, unable to find a way to fix everything.

* * *

"Hey Beth," Will held up a hand as the brunette rushed from his house. "Uh, bye Beth?"

Confused, he swung open the door to his house. "Kevin?" he called. "Want to tell me why Beth just rushed out of here?" He walked toward the living room, hearing the static of the television. "What's going on?"

Kevin was still sitting on the couch. "She got mad."

Will raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, Dad." Kevin huffed, turning off the TV with the remote. "She's just crazy."

Will sat down next to Kevin. "Somehow I doubt that. What was she doing over here anyway?"

Kevin sighed. "It's nothing, Dad. I'm going to go to bed now. I've been up all day."

Will nodded, and watched as Kevin transferred himself back into the wheelchair. "Kev, if you want to talk…"

Kevin smirked. "You're sounding more like mom every day."

**COMMERCIAL BREAK**

The next day was dark and rainy, but Joan was happy to come home. "I can't wait to shower," she said as Helen helped her inside. "I haven't washed my hair in like, sixty hours."

"I've raised a slob," Helen responded, guiding Joan to the couch.

"Ugh. Thanks." Joan plopped down on the couch. "Do I really have to just sit here for the next week? I can't even hang out with Adam?" she whined.

"You weren't even supposed to come home this early, honey. Be happy."

"Can I at least call Grace? She's leaving today."

"Leaving?" Luke asked from the hallway, poking his head into the room. "Where's she going?"

"Mom, can you tell him to stop spying," Joan countered, sticking out her tongue at her brother.

"I wasn't spying. You just talk so loud that it's hard to miss what you say."

"Whatever. Somewhere with her dad, I think."

"Oh, uh, how long is she going to be there?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Joan shrugged. "I didn't ask. You're going to be away anyway. Shouldn't matter."

"No, no. It doesn't. I was just curious," Luke responded, leaving the room.

Joan turned to her mom with a knowing look. "He has a crush on Grace."

* * *

"Grace, I think that's the last of everything. Lock the door and we'll get going," Rabbi Polonski called from the car.

Grace was about to lock the door when the phone rang. Muttering under her breath, she reentered the house. "We're not interested," she growled, picking up the phone.

"I'm not trying to sell you anything. Hey Grace."

Grace rolled her eyes. For someone just released from a hospital, Joan's tone was far too chipper. "What do you want, Girardi? I'm supposed to be leaving now."

"I just wanted to say bye. Where are you going, by the way?"

"California."

"You? Soaking up the sun in California?" Joan laughed.

"It's not like I want to go," Grace responded. "My dad's making me. And we're supposed to be leaving _now._"

"Oh, um, right. Well, have fun, then."

"I won't."

"Have fun, Grace."

Grace groaned as she heard a click, then slammed the phone back into it's cradle. "Coming, Dad," she yelled, hurrying back out of the house.

* * *

"Can you make me lunch, Kevin? Mom told me I couldn't get up." Joan smiled sweetly at her brother.

Kevin groaned. "I don't think I'm going to enjoy this much."

"Don't worry. Mom, Dad, and Luke will be home soon. They just had to run out to get Luke Star Trek boxers or something."

Kevin laughed. "Stuff for Space Camp. So yeah, probably." The doorbell rang and Kevin held up a hand in mock triumph. "I'm off duty."

He wheeled to the door and opened it to find a young woman standing in the rain, her dark hair dripping. "Joan, it's a friend of yours. The whole drowned rat look gives it away."

The girl glared at Kevin. "No, actually-"

"Come in. Don't stand in the rain," Kevin interrupted, moving away from the door.

"Thanks." She stepped inside tentatively.

"I've got to make Joan her sandwich. She's right in there though," Kevin gestured to the living room, brushing off the brunette.

"I'm not-" She sighed as Kevin disappeared into the kitchen. "I'm not here for Joan," she said quietly, entering the living room anyway.

Joan glanced up when the girl entered. "I don't know you."

"Yeah, I'm, uh, aware. I was looking for your dad, actually." She shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

Joan raised an eyebrow. "He's not here. He'll be home soon, if you want to wait."

She shook her head. "I can't. I have a class. Um, my name's Lila."

"Joan."

"Yeah, I know." Lila sat down next to Joan. "Could you tell your dad something for me?" she asked nervously.

"I guess so."

"Tell him I stopped by to tell him something about Jessica."

"The murdered girl?" Her dad had filled her in on the case when he'd visited last night.

Lila winced. "Uh, yeah. Anyway, tell him that…" She drifted off, shaking her head. "I'm going to sound crazy."

Joan laughed. "If there's anybody who won't find you crazy, it's me."

Lila offered a small smile, slightly reassured. "Okay. Tell him that Jessie… she told me once that she talked to God."

Joan's stomach flipped and her eyes widened. "What did you say?" she asked breathlessly, her heart racing. Were there others?

* * *

NEXT, on Joan of Arcadia, the Alternate Season 2: It's been 3 months since Joan learned Jessica's secret. As Will's frustration grows and all the leads prove to be futile, Joan launches her own investigation. Luke returns from Space Camp and Grace returns from her family trip... but is it each other they want? Kevin hunts down Beth, ready to start fresh, as Joan befriends Lila. Helen learns that due to budget cuts at Arcadia High, her job's in danger.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks for Reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review; it will encourage me to get the next installment up quicker! 


	2. 201 More in Pain Than Anger

Author: Summer [Indian Summer]

2.01- More In Pain Than Anger

Date Published: 8.14.2004

Episode Guide- Grace has returned from her trip with her father, and Luke's more startled than anyone else when he learns the details. God's plans take Joan face to face with the enemy. Lila and Kevin team up after Kevin learns something startling about Beth. Helen learns her job's in danger. Will and Toni investigate a new lead in the Jessica Raphael case.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Joan of Arcadia, and all I own is my writing, Lila, and Conner.

Sorry for taking so long. I was away.

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* * *

If there was a God, he was _way_ too insistent.

Joan Girardi groaned and looked up at the blaring alarm clock. 1:2:232 AM? That didn't even make sense.

"And according to me, it's going to be another gorgeous day in Arcadia. And that means more than the weatherman's word ever will," a male voice blared from the alarm clock. "In other news, today is the day to settle past disputes. The time has come to let the past be the past, and look not just at one's appearance, but at the reason one appears that way. Isn't that right, Jo-"

She slammed her hand onto the sleep button, silencing the alarm clock. With a cry of exasperation, she pulled her pillow over her head, silencing any lingering ideas.

"You don't exist. It's just a coincidence," she yawned, letting her eyes close and herself be lulled back into sleep.

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OPENING CREDITS

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"Will, just look outside. It's so beautiful. We've been lucky lately, with this weather," Helen exclaimed, holding a mug of coffee out to Will.

Joan raised an eyebrow at her mother's words, her brain wandering back to the voice in her alarm clock's weather prediction.

"Yeah, well, you know that if it looks too good to be true, it is," Will returned grumpily, taking the cup from his wife. "I have to be at work in half an hour."

"How's the case going?" Helen asked, setting a plate of toast down in front of Joan.

Joan looked at it disgustedly, and pushed it away.

"No new developments. Everyone seems to be enjoying phoning in false tips, though." Will glanced at his daughter. "Why aren't you eating that?"

Joan ignored him, instead looking at her mother. "Mom, it's bran," she complained, her nose scrunched up in disgust.

"It's good for you, Joan. You haven't been eating very healthy foods lately, so just eat the-"

"Are you calling me fat?" Joan interrupted.

Helen threw her hands up in exasperation. "No. Here, have this instead," she said, tossing Joan a package of pop tarts. "God, why do teenagers have to be so hard," she muttered.

"Mmm. Chocolate," was Joan's only response as she opened the pop tarts and broke a piece off, bringing it to her mouth. She paused mid-bite when she caught her mother's expression. "What?"

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.

"I'll have a two cheeseburgers, large fries, uh, a large vanilla milkshake, and a large coke. Oh! And can you get me one of the 6 pack Chicken fingers, too?"

Luke stared at his brother in amazement. "That could feed me for the next week," he muttered.

Kevin looked at him. "What do you want?"

Luke shrugged. "Uh, a cheeseburger and a medium Sprite, I guess." He watched as Kevin leaned back out the window to repeat the order into the intercom.

"What are you doing today?" Kevin asked as he drove up to the window.

Again Luke shrugged. "Uh, I think I'm going to the mall with Friedman and Glynis. There's this new magnet and it's stronger than the one-"

"Forget I asked," Kevin said quickly, holding a twenty dollar bill out the window. "Didn't you and Glynis break up?"

"Yeah, but, uh, we're friends again. Kinda. At least we were at Space Camp. Maybe. I don't know, it's complicated. We-"

Luke was cut off by a female voice. "Oh, it's you! I remember you!"

Luke and Kevin glanced simultaneously toward the window, where a dark-haired girl was grinning at Kevin. "Uh, hi," Kevin responded, clearly not placing the girl.

"You came by a while ago. Uh, I'm Barbie. Remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kevin smiled, and Luke couldn't tell if he was being honest. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm good!" Barbie smiled, turning to pick up a bag. She reached out the window and handed it to Kevin. "Here's your food. Maybe I'll see you again."

"Yeah. Maybe." Kevin smiled and Luke shook his head. Kevin made it look so easy.

.

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"No! It's not funny, Lila. I'm so scared of them."

Lila Carson raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Koala bears? You're scared of koala- Joan, that's pathetic."

Joan sighed as she, Lila, and Adam turned a corner in the general store. "So? Adam's scared of the mall!"

"What?" Adam frowned. "I wasn't making fun of you, Jane."

He looked almost hurt as Lila laughed. "You guys are so screwed up."

Joan shrugged, taking Adam's hand as they reached the magazine rack. "We need to get the Enquirer," she informed Lila, gesturing to the tabloid. "There's an article in it this week saying Matt Damon was raised by a wolf!"

"And that Courtney killed Kurt," Lila read, picking up the tabloid. "Okay."

"I so couldn't care less about that. It's like, a decade old. I'd rather know-"

As they reached the end of the aisle, Joan froze. A girl was turned away from them, leaning against the counter, but Joan knew who it was. The dark wavy hair, weird shirts, paint speckled on her jeans. "Hi Iris," she muttered, dropping Adam's hand instinctively.

Iris spun around, her smile faltering briefly. "Oh, hi, Joan. Adam."

Lila looked between the two girls uncomfortably. "Um. I'm Lila. It's, uh, nice to meet you, Iris."

Iris bit her lip. "Yeah, hi. And, uh, you too." Her gaze was on Adam. "Well, I was just about to leave, so…"

"Yeah, uh, so were we," Joan said quickly, tearing the tabloid from Lila's hand and setting it down on the shelf.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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.

Helen touched her paintbrush to the canvas hesitantly, adding a green-blue mix to the painting. It was the first time she'd painted since Joan's illness, and she wasn't very sure of herself.

The phone rang and Helen jumped, streaking blue across the corner of the canvas. "Oh no," she muttered, but set her paintbrush down anyway and abandoned the painting.

She ran to the kitchen and picked up the phone breathlessly. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Mrs. Helen Girardi, please?"

Helen raised an eyebrow at the official sounding voice. "Speaking."

"Hello. This is Robert Davidson. I'm the Assistant Superintendent of Arcadia Public Schools."

This couldn't be good. "Oh. Hi."

There was a pause. "I'm sorry to tell you his, and it's not official yet, so try not to worry."

Helen wasn't sure what worried her more- his words or his tone. "Well, when you say that-" she started, but he cut her off.

"As I'm sure you're aware, due to state funding there's been many budget cuts at Arcadia High School this past year. Due to this, we've been forced to cancel some of the more… elective based programs."

"Like my art classes," Helen finished, letting out a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding, deflated.

"Well, yes. Of course, we aren't sure if it will come to that now. It won't be official for a couple more weeks, but I felt it was my job to notify you… well, you can stay on as an office aid."

"So my art classes might be canceled? I'll lose my job?" Helen asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

There was a pause, and Robert Davidson sighed. "Yes. It's a possibility."

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"God, that was awkward," Lila muttered as Joan swung open the door to the Girardi home. "So, that's Adam's ex?"

"'Cha." Adam shook his head. "I felt kind of bad."

Joan let her friends enter in front of her and then walked into her house, shutting the door behind her. "Me too." She remembered the alarm clock incident and frowned. "Do you think it's time to, you know, put it all behind us? Talk to her?"

Lila shrugged. "I don't know. But if it will make the awkwardness go away…" she trailed off. "Well, whatever you think. I've gotta go to the bathroom, though, so…"

"Just come back to the living room when you're done," Joan said as her newest friend started down the hall. She turned to Adam. "Do you think she's ready to talk?"

Adam just stared at her. "I don't know, Jane. Maybe."

Joan started to respond, but the doorbell cut her off. "Who the-" she started, swinging open the door. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

In the doorway stood a familiar looking boy, his brown hair tousled and his gaze serious. "Joan," he said, offering her a smile. He glanced at Adam. "And you're Adam. I know- I've heard a lot about you."

Joan glared at him. The corduroy jacket was gone, but it was definitely him. In it's place he wore a blue T-shirt to go with his swimming trunks. "What are you doing here?"

Adam frowned. "Isn't he the guy you were dancing with that time, Joan?" he asked, his voice strained.

No Jane. Joan shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, yeah. This is Adam. Adam, this is…" she trailed off, the introduction too awkward. Adam, this is God. She doubted that would go over very well. She looked from him to Adam and back.

"El," he finished, holding out a hand, which Adam shook hesitantly. "Joan and I go way back."

"Way back," Joan added unnecessarily as Adam gave her a weird look.

"Yeah. Well, I'm Adam. It's, uh, nice to meet you, El." Adam looked around, as if for an escape. His gaze fell on the kitchen and he looked back over at Joan. "Uh, I'm gonna go say hi to your mother, okay, Jane? I'll be right back."

Joan nodded and waited until Adam disappeared before turning back to 'God.' Her hallucination. "El?" Her tone was sarcastic. "I shouldn't still be having hallucinations. What's going on?"

"El. Another name for God. You really should take a theology class, Joan."

Joan bit her lip. "Is that some kind of offhand comment, or some, some_ mission_?" she asked, the last few words in a near whisper.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt... but that's not why I'm here." He paused, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"God sweats?" Joan asked disbelievingly.

"No. The human form sweats." He shook his head. "That's not why I'm here though, Joan. I'm here to answer your question."

"Finally! So why me?"

He shook his head. "Not that question, Joan." He studied her for a moment before continuing. "Go to Iris, Joan."

"But-"

He turned around and opened her door, giving her a wave over his shoulder. "Go."

.

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"Hey Mrs. G. How are you?"

Helen forced a smile as Adam entered the kitchen. "Okay… Where'd you guys go?" she asked, trying to get her mind off of what Robert Davidson had told her.

"Oh. We went to the general store, because the girls wanted to pick up some magazines and stuff. But, uh, we didn't get anything."

"Why not?" Helen asked, an eyebrow raised. Joan never came home empty handed.

"Oh, we, uh, ran into Iris." Adam shrugged, pulling out a kitchen chair and turning it around.

Helen smiled as Adam straddled the chair and sat down backward. "She doesn't bite, you know. She's a nice girl, Adam. You guys just hurt her."

"Yeah. Jane was just saying… well, we probably should fix things since we go back to school in a couple weeks. She's probably gonna be in my art classes, you know."

Helen frowned. "I wouldn't worry too much about that, Adam."

Adam's eyes widened. "Why? Did she transfer?"

Helen shook her head. "No. The budget cuts… they're not sure if there's going to be an art program this year," she said gently.

Adam's eyes widened. "No. That's the only reason I go to school. They'll figure something out."

"Lets hope."

Adam nodded fiercely, latching onto this hope. "And, uh, I'll tell Grace. She's coming over tonight. If anyone can stir up some kind of… I dunno, protest or something, it's Grace."

"She's back?" Helen asked, and added almost as an afterthought, "Peaceful protests, Adam."

"Yeah, yeah. And Grace got in last night. She had to unpack today though."

"Oh! You guys should call her. She can have dinner here, if she'd like. I'm already having you and Lila for dinner, so…"

.

.

"Another tip," Detective Toni Williams said as Will entered the precinct, her tone no longer even remotely hopeful.

Will frowned. "Do you think it's another fake?"

Toni shrugged. "I have a uniform running a check now. It was an address, I think. 18 W.H. Wilbur Heights?"

Will paused, thinking this over. "Kevin was looking into a gym on Wellesley Hill."

"The Heights seems more likely. The whole area's stores. Except the low numbers are sometimes…"

"Storage units." Will whistled. "It's possible. Is someone checking out the building?"

"I told you." Toni shook her head. "I have someone checking to see if Jessica could've possibly had a unit there."

Will nodded, only half listening. He was already in detective mode. "Did you have someone check the note for prints?"

Toni frowned, looking at him questioningly. "It wasn't a note. It was an email."

Will's eyes widened. "On whose account?"

"Jessica's… the vic's dad."

Will swallowed, catching Toni's slip and thinking of all the ones he'd made. Try as they may, this wasn't just a case anymore. When you went three months without real leads and your own daughter befriended the victim's best friend… it became personal.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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Luke picked up the newspaper nervously, scanning the pages halfheartedly, wishing for something to take his mind off of what was going on around him. Anything to take his mind off of it. Even a nuclear disaster. He shook his head subconsciously. Well, maybe not that, but at least then he wouldn't have to obsess over other things.

Like the fact that in less than an hour Grace Polk was going to be sitting in his kitchen, newly returned from… well, he didn't really know where she'd gone. The point was, Luke hadn't talked to her since her near-breakdown in the elevator, and with the three months that had gone by since, he was even less sure where they stood now than he had been then.

He glanced down at the newspaper again, his eyes falling onto the left-hand page. Announcements. He skimmed through them, not expecting to find anything worth reading.

But there, in tiny writing toward the bottom of the page, his eye caught a familiar name.

Mr. Thomas Reinhart and Mrs. Deborah Reinhart are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Lynn Reinhart, to-

He set the newspaper down, shocked. "Kevin!" he yelled. "I think you're going to want to see something."

.

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18 Wilbur Heights did prove, in fact, to be a storage unit. And more particularly, storage unit D was rented out to a Jessica Levin. So imagine Will's shock when Toni remembered that Jessica's absentee mother's maiden name was Levin.

The unit hadn't been opened since the day before Jessica's death. There was a regular lock, as well as a combination lock. The former had taken Toni approximately 40 seconds to pick, but the combination proved to be trickier.

"We could have someone burn it off," Toni suggested from her seat on the grass in front of him, twirling the lock randomly.

"I guess we're going to have to-" Will broke off suddenly. "Toni? Remember that number Jessica had on her? That we thought was a phone number?"

"What was it?"

Toni pulled a small notebook from her pocket and flipped back a few pages. "1373825. Why?"

Will shoved her out of his way gently, eager to test out his theory. "I think she deliberately wanted someone who found it to think it was a phone number. We assumed it was one because backward, it would be. 528 is in our area. But what if it's just a lock combination?"

"The highest number's 40, Will. And there'd only be 6 numbers."

Will frowned, his idea slightly altered. "Try pulling one number out." The idea sounded insane, but he had this weird feeling.

He watched as Toni went to work, first getting rid of the 1. It didn't work, and he bit his lip. The only way to keep all the numbers under 40... "Try the 7," he urged.

She nodded, and swirled the lock again. 13-38-25. It clicked open and Toni whistled. "I'm starting to worry about you, Will. First you claim to see a dead person, and now you're psychic."

He ignored her, half out of eagerness to find out what was behind that door, and half because he didn't want to think about the incident she'd alluded to.

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Beth was getting married. Kevin stared blankly at the newspaper for a few minutes before breaking out of his daze. Luke was looking at him, and his mother had come into the room to see what all the commotion was about.

He looked from one to another, and then simply stated it. "Beth and Todd are getting married," he told his mother, his eyes burning into hers.

Her mouth formed a surprised 'O' and she covered it quickly. Luke's gaze was more pitying than shocked.

Kevin wheeled away quickly, shaking his head. "I have to go talk to her. It's my fault."

"How's it-" Helen started and then realization clouded her gaze. "She told you she broke up with him before because she wasn't ready."

Kevin nodded. "And then I got into that fight with her."

He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to ever talk to her again, not after everything that had happened. There was so much history there, so much pain. And he'd acted like an idiot with her, and then never bothered to apologize.

But as his guilt caught up with him, he'd already started wheeling from the room. "I'll be back later," he mumbled as he rolled through the door.

Lila was standing by the front door when he reached it. "Are you going to talk to Beth?" she asked, and Kevin wondered how she already knew.

"I don't know. I'm getting out of here, though."

Lila pursed her lips, looking at him for a moment. "I think that you have to do what you feel's right." She paused, pulling keys from her pocket. "My car can have you in Fordham in half an hour."

Kevin looked at her, trying to determine if she was serious. She opened the front door, shooting him a questioning look. "Okay. Lets go," he said, wheeling out the door.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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It figured Luke had to be in the front hall and closest to the door when the doorbell rang. "Luke, can you get that?" he heard his mom call, "It's probably Grace."

No kidding. Luke looked at the door nervously and approached it cautiously, as if there was a tiger behind it, and not a teenage girl. He turned the doorknob slowly and let the door creak open. "H-h-hey," he stuttered nervously, earning a disgusted look from Grace.

It was weird to think this was what the summer could do to Grace Polk. There were the obvious signs, like tan skin and dried out hair. What Luke hadn't been expecting, though, was that she looked, well, like a girl. Her hair was a couple inches longer and a buttery blonde. Gone was the leather jacket and in its place was a navy tank top and gray shorts. She didn't wear any makeup and it didn't appear that she'd _tried _to look this way; it had just happened. "G-Grace, come in. You look-"

"It's just temporary," she muttered quickly, stepping past him. "Just until I can get my hair cut."

Luke nodded. "Well, uh, it looks good." He shifted uncomfortably as she glared. "Not that, uh, you were trying to look good. Or that you don't usually. Just-" His voice was much squeakier than he'd meant it to be. "How was your summer?" he asked, looking for a quick topic switch.

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Three months locked up with an old Jew and a huge wine cellar…"

Luke smiled. "Well, at least you didn't have to spend it with an ex."

"Nerd camp," Grace nodded.

"_Space_ Camp. And it's a very intellectual, hands-on program used to train-"

"Did you know Victoria's Secret is named after the most prudish monarch in British history?" Grace interrupted.

Luke frowned. "What does that-"

"Think about it," Grace countered, starting for the kitchen.

Luke bit his lip, his brain raking over her words for a hidden meaning. He recognized it probably related to his 'Queen of England' phrasing, but thoughts of Grace in Victoria's Secret lingerie? Hell, he was a teenage boy. He could interpret that however he liked.

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To think a teenage girl could collect so much crap made Will sick. Because 90% of the stuff Jessica Raphael had stored in this unit he'd seen in his own house, in the possession of his own daughter. Magazines, old clothes, newspaper clippings, posters… it was all here.

And seeing all this teenage clutter at once made Will realize how much money he must've spent on all this useless stuff that Joan had tossed after a couple of months.

Jessica, however, had proved to be a bit of a packrat. They'd been searching for almost two hours now, and they were still no closer to finding anything of use in here. Will couldn't really picture how an old hair straightener could be beneficial in solving the brutal murder.

"Nothing," Will complained, tossing a _Seventeen _magazine from December '98.

Toni nodded in agreement, standing on her tiptoes to reach a box. Dragging it down, she opened the lid. "Old photos. But just her and her dad or-" She broke off and whistled under her breath. "A guy."

"One of the exes we've interviewed?"

"Nope." Toni held up a photo of a smiling Jessica, her arm wrapped casually around a teenage boy's waist. His hair was a short, mousy brown, his eyes hazel. He was a little taller than Jessica, but probably not much older. "Maybe Aidan?" Toni asked hopefully.

Aidan had proved to be the biggest hurdle in Jessica's case. Lila had described numerous encounters with the boy, but no sign of him had ever turned up. But from the small description Lila had provided… "It could be," Will said, placing the picture in a plastic bag.

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"So, Grace, how was your summer?"

Grace looked up at Mrs. Girardi. She'd been counting on the B-movie hugs and stupid questions, the inability to stay quiet during dinner. But she'd expected Joan to be the main culprit. "It was okay," she offered lamely.

Mrs. Girardi nodded, leaning forward in her seat to get some salad. "Where'd you go again?"

"California," Grace responded.

"Oh." Mrs. Girardi smiled, looking from one of her kids to another, as if for help. "Uh, what's in California? If you don't mind my asking…"

She minded, but telling Joan's mother that? That was not an option. "Um. My mother has a beach house there."

"I don't think I've ever met your mom," Helen said conversationally.

Grace raised her eyebrows, uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. "Yeah, well, that's not very surprising."

"You know, I've never seen your mom either, Grace. And I've gone to your house a few times," Joan started, seizing on the topic.

Grace's gaze met Adam's as Joan fell silent, and Grace could tell Adam had elbowed Joan. She offered him a small, private smile, one she could be sure no one else could translate.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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It figured the jerk's apartment was on the second floor. As Lila had driven him toward Fordham, Kevin had made a phone call to Beth's parents and learned she was living at her fianc's apartment.

As Kevin waited impatiently for the elevator door to open, he tried to think of what he'd say. He wasn't here for some grand romantic gesture; he wasn't going to take Beth in his arms and proclaim her the love of his life. He wasn't going to offer her a proposal of his own. And he certainly wasn't going to fight this Todd guy. Not that he could…

The door swung open and Kevin found a man standing on the other side, about to step in. "Oh, hi," the guy said, looking from Kevin to Lila, "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so," Kevin responded quickly, looking down the hall to the door of Beth's apartment.

"Well, uh, the only other apartment up here belongs to an elderly couple with no grandkids, so I can't picture you…" The man drifted off, holding out his hand. "I'm Todd."

Kevin's eyes widened and he shook the man's hand against his will. "Uh, Kevin… and this is Lila," he said, gesturing to her as he spoke.

Todd smiled as he took Lila's hand in his own and raised it to his mouth for a kiss. "A pleasure to meet you." He dropped her hand slowly, then turned to Kevin. "Kevin…" Todd bit his lip as he looked at the wheelchair. "Beth's friend."

"Yeah." Kevin looked up, half-defiantly.

Todd nodded. "Well, she's in the apartment. Just knock and she'll let you in. I, on the other hand, have to go. Maybe I'll talk to you later." He stepped into the elevator as Kevin and Lila got out.

"Right." Kevin glared as the elevator doors closed. The guy was leaving him alone with Beth. He didn't even _consider_ Kevin competition. Kevin shook his head and looked down at his legs. Why should he? Todd was tall, probably 6'3, and muscular, with an athletic build. Like Kevin used to be.

He sighed, wheeling down the hall to the door without meeting Lila's gaze. He knocked, already defeated. He braced himself as the door swung open.

"Kevin."

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"Where'd Lila go?" Joan asked for the sixth time since dinner, glancing from Grace to Adam and back. The three were sprawled on the couch, Joan in the middle.

Grace shrugged. "Don't ask me. I've never even met her."

Adam frowned. "I don't know, Jane. I think she left."

Joan rolled her eyes. "No kidding."

They fell into an awkward silence and Joan, feeling the need to break it, turned to Grace. "So, you haven't told us anything about your trip. What did you do without us for the whole summer?"

"Redefined quiet and peace." Grace rolled her eyes. "Not much."

Joan heaved an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, Grace. What did you do? Who'd you hang out with? What did you eat? What did you do for fun?"

Adam, who'd been quiet since dinner, suddenly straightened. "Was Conner there?"

"Ooh!" Joan clapped her hands together in glee. "Who's Conner? A boy?"

"No." Grace rolled her eyes again. "A girl with really mean parents."

Adam shook his head, glancing at Grace. "Conner was Grace's first boyfriend. He-"

"Shut it, Rove," Grace interrupted quickly, glaring at him.

Adam ignored Grace's warning. "Anyway, Conner and Grace were close for a while, then they got together, then Grace kicked him into the curb."

"You did _not _just say that!" Joan laughed.

Grace groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "He's serious," she mumbled, "He probably still has my shoeprints on his ass."

"Was he there?" Adam asked again.

"Yes," Grace muttered through gritted teeth, not raising her head.

There was something about the way Grace admitted this that made Joan narrow her eyes. "And you were with him?" she asked knowingly, a bit too proud of herself.

Grace didn't answer and Joan laughed. "You were! You were with him!"

"With who?"

All three turned toward the door at the voice. Luke was standing outside the room, a pile of laundry in his hands.

Joan smiled, still happy with herself. "Grace hooked up with her ex when she was on vacation," she told him gleefully, basking in Grace's anger.

Luke blinked and nodded slowly, stepping away from the door. "Oh, cool," he said, his defeated tone making it clear he was anything but.

Joan, Adam, and Grace watched in silence as he walked away, and then Grace threw her head backward against the couch dramatically. "Five points for Girardi," she muttered, closing her eyes.

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"Six nights in a row. My wife's going to kill me," Will said from his desk at the precinct.

Toni whistled under her breath as she rifled through a stack of papers. "Cop work doesn't make room for five course meals, unfortunately. You can still have a PB&J when you get home."

Will laughed. "We had company tonight, too. I bet dinner would've been good."

Toni laughed at the look of longing on her partner's face. "Maybe they left you some."

"You haven't seen the way Kevin eats."

Toni shrugged, tossing the papers into her desk drawer. "You can always stop at McDonalds."

Will laughed, picking his coat up off the back of his chair. "How is it that we work late every single night when there's rarely a good lead?"

"I don't know. Maybe we're just highly inefficient at our jobs," Toni said, locking up her desk. "We may have a good lead. I submitted the photos. Carl said he'd see what he could dig up."

"Still… the average teenage boy isn't in a criminal database."

Toni raised an eyebrow. "The average teenage boy doesn't have a teenage friend who ends up murdered."

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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Lila tried not to smirk as Beth looked back and forth between her and Kevin. It hadn't occurred to her that the other girl could mistake them for a couple, but now it seemed to fit into her plan perfectly.

"I'm Lila," she said, extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Beth shook her hand hesitantly, offering Lila a small smile. "Beth. It's nice to meet you, too."

Beth bit her lip, glancing around the apartment. They'd obviously caught her in the middle of folding laundry, because clothes were strewn about on the floor. "I'm sorry it's such a mess here. I wasn't expecting anyone," she said nervously, kicking a shirt away from Kevin's chair. "Let me just, uh, make a path for you."

"It's okay, Beth. I can just, uh, go around the outside of the room," Kevin said quickly, turning his chair to the right.

Lila nodded, uncomfortable by the other girl's discomfort. "Yeah, and anyway, it's Kevin. He'll probably say a hundred things in the next five minutes that will make him deserve an obstacle course, right?"

Beth laughed appreciatively, looking up at Lila. "You seem to know him well. Are you guys…?" She trailed off, letting the question hang in the air between them.

"N-" Kevin started.

"Oh, yes. I mean, isn't he just the _greatest_?" Lila gushed over Kevin's protest, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Beth smiled uncomfortably, nodding. "Uh, yeah. Kevin's… a great guy."

Kevin threw Lila a questioning look, but she just smiled. "Anyway, that's kind of why we're here. We wanted to congratulate you on your engagement. And thank you."

"For what?" Beth asked, truly puzzled.

"Oh!" Lila said, giggling, squeezing Kevin's shoulder, "You taking that next, big step made Kevin realize he was ready, too. We're going to get married!"

Kevin's jaw dropped and he glared at Lila. She knew he hadn't come here to make Beth jealous, but she had a feeling there was still closure needed in their relationship. "Lila…" he started, but once again she ignored him.

"I just think it's so great that your engagement made Kevin commit! I was really worried that he, you know, still had his mind on the past…"

She smiled sweetly as Kevin glared at her, but she could tell he was trying to gauge Beth's reaction. Lila cleared her throat, holding up her cell. "I just remembered I have to call someone. I'll take it to the hall, though."

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"I can't believe you own this movie," Joan told Adam as she popped _The Waterboy_ into her DVD player. "I didn't picture you as a Sandler fan."

Grace let out a small, derisive laugh. "Adam owns every horrible movie ever made, from the old foreign films in black and white to anime movies."

"Foreign films aren't horrible, Grace. You have to look at them-"

"Whatever."

Joan laughed. "That's not the point, you guys. This movie should be like, a classic."

Grace shook her head. "That is wrong on so many levels. A movie about football and breasts doesn't make a classic. In fact, it's just a reflection of Hollywood's twisted priorities and sense of-"

"Thank you, God!" Joan cheered as her cell phone rang, effectively cutting off the rest of Grace's rant. She lunged at the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's me."

"Oh, Lila! Where are you? You just randomly took off and-"

"I'm at Beth's," Lila interrupted, "With Kevin."

Joan frowned. "I'm not even going to bother to ask."

"Isn't that the same thing as asking? Anyway, it's a long story."

Joan nodded. "Okay. So what's happening?"

"Kevin's… not too happy. But his expression… all I can say is _a countenance more in sorrow than in anger._"

"What?" Joan asked, wondering why Lila always had to use obscure references instead of saying what she meant.

Lila sighed. "Hamlet. Act 1, Scene 2, Line 232... Never mind."

Joan froze, thinking back to the time 'Alarm-Clock-God' had awoken her. "Did you say 1:2:232?"

"232. Yes… Why?"

"Uh, nothing. But I have to go. We're supposed to be watching a movie and Grace is glaring at me because I won't shut up."

Lila laughed. "Okay. Bye."

Joan heard a click as Lila disconnected and turned off her own phone. Glancing at Adam and Grace, she said hurriedly, "I, uh, have to go do… someone a favor. I'll be back in a while. You can start the movie without me."

Before they could reply, Joan had jumped up and run from the room. Grace frowned, glancing at Adam. "I give up."

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"I'll just try adding a little Sodium Chloride to it," Luke muttered to himself, putting 4 mL of NaCl into his test tube.

He was about to set the tube down in the rack when a knock on his door startled him, and he dropped the tube. "Ergh," he muttered, crossing the room to open the door. "You made me-"

He stopped cold as he saw Grace on the other side. "Grace. Hi. You scared me."

She nodded, looking past him to the glass shards on the floor. "Got that." She shifted uncomfortably. "Can I come in?"

He nodded, stepping aside to let her pass. "Yeah. Um, what did you need?"

She sat down on his bed, drawing her knees to her chest. "I didn't…" She paused, narrowing her eyes as she looked at him. "Nothing major happened back there, and I'm thinking if I don't clarify, you'll turn it in to some big thing and it will get twisted and-"

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he sat down next to her, but he knew what she was talking about. Her ex. Or maybe he wasn't her ex, because that wasn't how Joan had made it sound.

"His name's Conner," she started, and he winced.

"I don't need to hear-"

"I met him when I was nine, and we hung out every summer. When I was thirteen, we kind of… got closer. It's kind of a summer thing, I guess. But we're more friends than anything else. He's not like, my _boyfriend._" Grace noticeably shuddered at the word, but she met his gaze. "I don't want a boyfriend."

Luke nodded, having a little trouble digesting this. But what aggravated him more than the details were her motivations. "So you can… be with him. But you can't with me."

She rolled her eyes, breaking their eye contact. "This isn't about us. _Not_ that there is an us."

He paused, studying her. She looked nervous; her hands were wrung tightly together, her eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a thin line. "Then why'd you feel you owed me an explanation?" he asked, the words hanging between them.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"You know, God, this isn't exactly my idea of a good day. So if you want to hit me with lightning or something, instead of having to do _this_, that would be just great. Please?" Joan begged as she approached Iris' house.

Of course, there was no response. Joan sighed as she walked across the lawn. Iris' jpise was a white ranch, with a porch out front and a perfectly groomed lawn.

Joan paused before hitting the doorbell, wishing there was a way out of this. Hanging out with Iris wasn't going to be a fun experience. Joan was about to leave when the door swung open.

On the other side of the doorframe stood a thin woman with wavy black hair. She wore a blue sundress with a light green cardigan over it. She was barefoot and had no makeup on.

Joan smiled. "Hi. I was just wondering if Iris was home. I'm Joan," she introduced herself, hoping Iris hadn't told her mother about her.

"A friend of Iris'?" the woman asked, stepping to the side. "Come in, come in. I'll go get her."

The front door opened into a large living room. It was immaculately clean and furnished with leather armchairs, couches, and a widescreen television. There was a fireplace on the far side of the room. Joan opted to sit in an armchair while the woman went to get Iris.

Joan looked around the room curiously. The walls were a light tan, and paintings, some clearly by Iris, were framed and hung on the walls. There were five photographs framed on the mantelpiece. One was a picture of Iris taken in school last year, one was of a young man with dark hair and eyes, probably about twenty. There was a school picture of a second girl, probably about thirteen, who, unlike the other two, had dirty blonde hair and twinkling blue eyes. A photo of the woman Joan had just met and a man, presumably Iris' father, was off to the side, taken probably about five years ago. The center photo showed all five of them- Iris, her parents, brother and sister, when Iris was about ten.

From the photos they seemed like a completely normal family, and if Iris hadn't told Joan of the domestic abuse, she never would've known there was a problem under the surface.

"What are you doing here?" Iris' accusing voice interrupted.

Joan's eyes flew up to the girl. Iris was wearing the same thing she'd had on earlier, only now the blue of her jeans seemed to have almost disappeared beneath specks of paint. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and a pencil stuck out from behind her ear.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About…" Iris started, sitting down on another armchair.

Joan bit her lip. "My friend, Lila- you met her today. Well, anyway, she said something to me that… well, I wanted to come talk to you."

Iris crossed her arms over her chest. "Joan…"

Joan sighed. "I don't like this anymore than you do. Believe me. But I have to do this." She heaved a sigh, leaning forward to look at Iris. "I'm sorry we hurt you, Iris. Really."

"I think we've already had this conversation a dozen times, Joan. A likes you. I was just, I don't know, a substitute." Iris shifted uncomfortably.

Joan bit her lip. "It wasn't like that." She met the other girl's eyes. "Listen. Adam and I… we had this complicated history before you even met him. And I was scared and the timing was never right and everything just got really screwed up. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt when he hooked up with you…"

"But?" Iris asked, her voice softening a little.

Joan sighed. "You're a good person, Iris. And I know you know Adam's a good guy. And this was never about you not being good enough, or me being better, or Adam being… a guy." She offered Iris a weak smile. "I know this is weird coming from me, but you were… you were good for Adam, Iris. And you're a good person."

"Yeah, this is weird coming from you." Iris rolled her eyes. "I don't need to listen to you relieve your soul, Joan."

Joan shook her head vehemently. "That's not what this is about. I swear, Iris. And I don't want you to think we're trying to… I don't know. Rub this in your face or anything. Because you're a cool person." Joan paused, trying to decide whether or not she should tell Iris the rest. She didn't see what else she had to lose, because her pride was already long gone. "And after you and Adam… broke up, I wasn't trying to be mean to you. I was just… jealous."

"Jealous?" Iris asked, confused. "Of what?"

Joan shrugged. "You have your thing. You're an awesome artist, photographer… you have so much in common with Adam. And it seemed like whatever I tried to do, you did better."

Iris' lips curved into a half smile. "I am pretty good," she said hesitantly.

Joan smiled. "I just don't want everything to be awkward forever. Can you… I don't know? Forgive me?"

Iris bit her lip. "It's not about forgiveness, Joan. I already forgave both of you. But it still hurts. I guess it's just going to take me time. But since enough of that time hasn't seemed to go by, it's still awkward. But I don't hate you guys."

Joan smiled. "Thanks Iris."

Iris nodded. "No problem." She looked around uncomfortably. "I have to get back to my painting before the mix dries. I'll talk to you in school in a couple weeks, okay?"

"Yeah," Joan nodded.

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"Well, Lila seems nice," Beth told Kevin when the other girl had excused herself for the sixth time in twenty minutes.

Kevin nodded. "She is." He rolled his eyes. "We aren't engaged."

Beth's eyebrows shot up. "What? Why would she lie?"

"Lila's… She's not exactly known for her rationality. And she makes Joan look stable."

"Huh?"

Kevin sighed. "Lila's not even my girlfriend. She's a friend of Joan's who thought she could help and somehow made everything more complicated." He smiled softly. "Just like Joan would've."

Beth laughed. "Somehow I doubt Joan would've pretended to be your fiancée."

Kevin nodded in agreement. "Well, yeah. But you know what I mean."

Beth nodded, taking a cookie from a plate and offering it to him. "Yeah… so why are you here?"

"Well, I read that newspaper announcement thing about your engagement and I couldn't stop thinking about how you told me that you didn't think you were ready for marriage. And that was only a couple of months ago. So…"

"What changed," Beth finished.

"Yeah."

Beth sighed, and thought for a moment before answering. "I guess it was partially our last conversation… or fight. And the summer. I don't know. It's just different now."

Kevin shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "About that…"

Beth smiled sadly. "It's okay."

"No, it's not." Kevin shook his head. "I was an idiot, Beth. Back in May and before the accident. I kind of let my ego get in the way of…"

"Everything," Beth laughed. "I know."

"Yeah." Kevin bit his lip. "Back then… the reason I acted like an idiot… I was a stupid high school guy. And my ego… really got in the way then. I let myself get caught up in the guy crap. And when Jeannie seemed so into me…"

"You let it happen."

He nodded. "It was never about you, Beth. I was completely in love with you then. I was just too scared to admit it."

Beth smiled softly, taking a bite from a cookie. "You never told me that."

"I was scared; I told you that. I wasn't sure if you loved me, and I was worried about what the guys would think. So instead of being a man about it, I ran away. And hooked up with the first girl I could, just to show I wasn't whipped."

"Thank you."

"Huh?"

Beth shrugged, holding out another cookie. "I love Todd, but listening to you… I don't think I'm doing the mature thing by agreeing to marry him… that sounds weird."

Kevin smiled, taking the cookie from her. "I get it."

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Grace frowned. Why _had_ she told Luke? "I don't know," she said aloud, and then, shocked by her own voice, looked up.

Luke was staring at her, his gaze penetrating and deep. "Grace…"

"Listen, Luke. I don't do relationships. I don't want a boyfriend. I've told you this a hundred times. I don't want to date you."

Luke groaned in frustration, his gaze still burning into hers. "What _do_ you want, Grace?" he cried, irritated.

Grace shrugged. "I don't know. This is exactly why I can have… whatever with Conner. _He_ doesn't ask for a definition of our 'relationship.'"

Luke winced at the mention of Conner, and Grace almost wished she could take it back. "Well then, I'm sorry I'm not Conner."

"I didn't mean-"

"Yeah, you did, Grace. And I get it if you don't want to define what we have. It frustrates me, but if you don't want to, it's up to you."

"What do you-"

He wasn't done though. "I just know that I can't keep doing this. I can't keep sitting across the table from you, or walking next to you, or being in a class with you, and not at least knowing what we aren't." He stopped long enough to take a deep breath before continuing, "I get that we aren't dating, or boyfriend and girlfriend, but I don't even know if we're friends."

"We are-"

"I'm not asking you to change, or even to talk to me in public. I just don't want to keep doing _this_. I want to get past this constant wondering. Because every time I think I know where we stand-"

"Luke!"

He froze, searching her eyes. She knew immediately that it was because she'd used his name, and that he was smart enough to know she used nicknames to distance herself from people. "What?" he asked quietly.

She leaned forward slowly. "We're friends," she whispered right before her lips met his. It was a quick kiss, but when she pulled away he was smiling.

"You always surprise me," he mumbled, leaning in to kiss her again.

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* * *

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NEXT: Joan turns her back on God as a string of roberries hits close to home and Helen fights for her job. Grace and Luke continue with their strange relationship as Lila and Kevin hang out.


	3. 202 The Devil Lurks Behind the Cross

Author: Summer [Indian Summer]

2.02- The Devil Lurks Behind the Cross

Date Published: 09.03.2004

Episode Guide- The Girardis day is interrupted by a bank robbery gone bad, and Kevin's caught in the crossfire. Helen connects with Mr. Price.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Joan of Arcadia, and all I own is my writing and original characters. Don't own _Crossroads, ABC, _or, well, anything else of value to you.

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"Guess what I have," Luke said as he rushed into the kitchen, throwing a few sheets of white paper on the table in front of Joan, Adam, and Grace.

Grace took a piece of paper and looked quickly at it before handing it to Adam. "Big deal. It's our schedules, not the winning lottery numbers."

Joan rolled her eyes. "To Luke it's the same thing." She shuffled through the papers to find her own and skimmed it quickly. "I got into the fashion design class," she said happily, setting her schedule back down.

Grace shot Joan a look of disgust. "Now all's right in the world."

"I don't think so," Adam said slowly, clearly not noticing Grace's sarcasm. "Lishack's teaching AP Physics."

Luke frowned, looking at his own schedule again. "So? What's wrong with that? She's a good teacher."

"I'm sure all the teenage boys love her," Grace muttered, shoving her schedule back to the middle of the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked, his expression confused.

Grace shrugged. "Just that you aren't going to object to a teacher who'd give all the good little boys extra credit."

At Luke's questioning look, Joan laughed. "Luke, Lishack like, hits on you. I know you listen to her lectures, but do you really... _listen_?"

Luke's gaze flickered over Grace, but her eyes were set straight ahead. "That's not true. She's just excited about teaching."

"_Excited_," Grace said sarcastically, "Exactly."

Luke looked at Adam for help, but Adam just shrugged. "I don't know what to say. They're kinda right, yo."

Before Luke could protest, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Luke said quickly, eager to end this conversation.

As Luke left the room, Joan tried to catch Grace's gaze, but Grace carefully avoided her eyes.

"Joan!" she heard Luke call, "Some guy. For you."

Something in his tone made Joan jump up. "I'll, uh, be right back," she said, squeezing Adam's hand for good measure.

As she went to the door, she passed Luke, who was returning to the kitchen. "You have such… weird friends," he muttered, shaking his head.

Joan frowned, almost running to the door. She stopped cold at what she saw. "You've got to be kidding me," she said.

A boy with pale skin and hair dyed black stood at the door, wearing more makeup than Joan herself. "Hey Joan."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

"Not much. Just follow the right path today. Do the things your mom asks you to. Be there when your brother tells you to. Listen to your father when he needs you."

Joan raised an eyebrow. "So you're basically just telling me to be a good girl? No real mission?"

"A mission's what you make of it, Joan."  
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****

OPENING CREDITS

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You knew the summer was officially dead when you spent a Thursday afternoon willingly shopping for school supplies. Joan sighed as she, Adam, and Grace stopped their shopping cart in front of a display of writing utensils.

"I'm so _bored,_" she complained, dramatically throwing back her head. "Why can't school just start already?"

"Girardi, don't say that," Grace complained, tossing a package of highlighters into the cart. "School's even worse. We could be sitting in Physics listening to Lishack explaining how force exerted creates a-"

"Okay, don't even finish that sentence. Oh, ew." Joan groaned. "You know, it's because of you I can't stop picturing Lishack and my brother…" Joan trailed off, whimpering.

"Just calling them like I see them," Grace told her, comparing two boxes of pencils. "What does high durability mean when it's describing a pencil?"

"Long lasting, yo," Adam answered, taking the Ticonderoga box from Grace's hand. "America's best pencil."

Joan rolled her eyes. "That's not what we were talking about. We were talking about _me _and how bored I am."

Grace snickered. "We got bored. And what do you want us to do about it? Dance for the little princess?"

"Knock it off, Grace." Joan shrugged. "We should go to one of the 2:00 movies. I want to see _The Village._"

Grace shook her head. "Nah. Didn't you hear about the mystery animal ploy? I can't sit through a movie with that kind of disgusting marketing."

"We could rent something," Joan said, pulling a package of ballpoint pens off the rack and tossing them into the cart.

"The anniversary edition of this movie I watched in my junior high art class was just-"

"No… Something fun, Adam."

"Something brainless and without a lot of subplots," Grace added, "My brain already feels like it's gonna explode."

"_Crossroads_ it is," Joan said, grinning at Grace.

Grace groaned. "The actors have to be able to spell their own names."

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Kevin had just finished making himself a sandwich when two hands clamped down over his eyes.

"Guess who!" a distinctly female voice exclaimed.

"Well, God, I have no idea," Kevin said sarcastically, peeling the hands off his face, "Which of Joan's friends would be immature enough to play that game?"

Lila grinned. "What's up, Kevin?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I promised Joan I'd pick her up at Adam's later, and I have to run to the bank in a couple hours, and sadly, that will be the highlight of my day."

"Don't you have a friend you could call?" Lila asked, propping herself on the counter and making a grab for Kevin's sandwich.

His reflexes still quick, Kevin easily avoided Lila's grasp. "No. Thanks for rubbing it in, Lila," he said jokingly.

"Aww. Poor baby. Then you can hang out with me."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "As much as that appeals to me-"

"Like you have so many better options. I'll even come to the bank with you. Because unfortunately, I have nothing to do either."

"A girl like you? I doubt that." Kevin frowned. "Did you come over looking for my sister?"

"Nah. She's out with Adam and Grace, shopping for school. Not exactly my scene."

Kevin laughed. "Did you even show up for school when you were 17?"

"Yes!" Lila bit her lip. "Well, no."

"Uh-huh."

Lila rolled her eyes. "It wasn't like that," she said, swinging her legs out and almost kicking him in the face. "I had a tutor because I was away so much. And I'll have you know that I got As in every single one of my classes. And I even tutored my tutor in some of the more… advanced classes."

Kevin nodded. "And what kind of classes were these?"

Lila pursed her lips. "My tutor's name was Rafe," she said slowly, a grin spreading across her face, "And let me just say he was more experienced in all aspects of life by the time I got through with him."

"I'll bet he was," Kevin responded, voice dripping with innuendo.  
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For the first time in the past three months, the Arcadia P.D. had put the Raphael case on the backburner. In the past few days, there'd been eight burglaries, each intensifying in size.

"That was a Mason West," Toni said as she hung up the phone. "He just returned home to find his apartment ransacked."

Will swore under his breath. "What was missing?"

"He hasn't gone through everything yet. There's a squad car on the way now. But big things- like his TV and computer- were untouched. All he's noticed so far is an 18 karat white gold diamond engagement ring."

Will groaned. "Why would you leave that laying around?"

Toni raised an eyebrow. "He probably wasn't expecting his apartment to be broken into, Will. Not everyone's been hardened by years on the force."

"Yeah, I know. But still, it's commonsense…"

Toni bit her lip. "One more thing."

"What?"

"When he got home… he noticed that all his phones were missing."

Will sighed, recognizing the burglar's M.O. "Add his name to the list," he said, his tone defeated.  
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****

COMMERCIAL BREAK  
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Carl Rove had been hesitant to take painkillers for his back problems just earlier this week, due to everything he'd read about addiction, but now he couldn't be happier Adam had talked him into it.

"Grace, I haven't seen ya all summer! What have you been up to?" he asked, giving his son's closest friend a bear hug as she entered his house.

Grace extricated herself from Carl's arms as Joan looked on in amusement. "I was in California with my dad. At the beach house."

"Right," Carl nodded. "I forgot you guys had that. How was it?"

"The same," Grace shrugged. "Hell on earth."

Carl let out a hardy laugh, turning to Adam and Joan. "What are you guys doing back here, anyway? I thought you were going to be at the Girardis all day."

Joan smiled. "We were, originally. But my house is so boring, we thought we'd stop by here and hang out for a while."

"And of course, smoke pot and get drunk. Just cause a little trouble," Grace added, her expression serious.

Carl laughed. "That would be quite the headline, Grace. '_Daughters of Local Rabbi and Detective Caught High.'_"

Adam smiled slightly, causing Carl's grin to spread. He could count on one hand the times he'd seen his son smile lately.

"You guys want anything for lunch? I'll order a pizza."

All three nodded as they disappeared into the living room. Carl watched them for a moment and shook his head. It was good to see his son acting normal again.

.  
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Lila slapped her last two cards onto the right-hand pile quickly and clapped her hands together. "I win, I win!" she said gleefully, pushing the cards toward Kevin.

"You're like a two-year-old," Kevin complained, scooping up the cards. "And you haven't won yet," he added, his eyes on the smaller pile.

Lila sighed, taking the cards and shuffling them quickly. "I may as well have. You are no match for Lila Carson."

"I'm starting to remember why the last time I played this was in fifth grade," Kevin teased, shuffling his own cards.

"Whatever," Lila said, setting up her cards as if she were playing Solitaire.

Kevin laughed. "How old are you again?"

"Shut up." Lila looked up. "Spit's fun. And I rule at it."

Kevin set down his cards. "Fine, I forfeit. You win."

Lila grinned, dropping her own pile. "So what's up with Beth?" she asked out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm assuming you've talked to her since we randomly showed up at her fianc's."

"Oh, yeah. Well, she called off the wedding, told him she wasn't ready."

"Ooh, yay!"

Kevin raised his eyebrows. "They're still together though."

Lila shrugged. "That's okay. At least you don't have to feel guilty anymore."

.  
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Helen folded the piece of white lined paper into thirds, her fingers pressing nervously on the creases.

School was scheduled to start in less than a week and she still hadn't learned anything definite about her job.

She carefully wrote the name of the addressee across the envelope and tucked the letter inside. She sealed it slowly, realizing the fate of her job could hang on her words.

She wasn't used to begging for anything, and she'd been unable to make herself call him. So instead, she'd written a letter to the one person who could help her save her job.

Ironically, it was the same person she'd tiptoed around every since she'd started teaching at Arcadia High.

Gavin Price.

****

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"Your dad's so much cooler than mine," Joan told Adam, plopping down on his bed. "My dad would never let you in my room, but your dad's fine with both me and Grace hanging out here."

Adam shrugged. "'Cha. He knows nothing will happen. Plus, he doesn't see Grace as a girl."

"Thanks," Grace said sarcastically, picking up one of his wire sculptures.

"I just mean he's known you forever."

"Whatever." Grace gestured to the sculpture. "This new?"

"Yeah. I finished it a few nights ago."

"I like it," Grace said, turning it over in her hands and examining it for another moment before handing it to Joan. "What's it supposed to be?"

Adam shrugged. "Dunno. Just had inspiration, you know?"

"Mmm."

"It's really cool, Adam," Joan said, taking Adam's hand in hers. "I like everything you do though."

Grace let out a dry laugh. "Oh, can we please skip the nauseating couple stuff? This is why I don't hook up with anyone."

"'Cha," Adam said, casting a knowing look at Grace.

Grace frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? I _don't."_

"Nothing," he backed down quickly. "I didn't mean anything."

Joan, however, wasn't nearly as ready to let this go. "You know, you were all weird today when you found out Lishack was teaching AP Physics. And Luke's been all quiet lately. Did you do something to him?"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "_Do something to him?_ God, no. Your brother's a freak, Joan."

Joan laughed, scrutinizing Grace closely. But before she could say something, the door swung open and Carl stood outside.

"Pizza's here, guys."

Adam nodded. "Thanks Dad."

"And Adam?"

"What?"

"Could you leave the door open when you've got girls in your room?"

His only response was laughter.

.  
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Yellow tape surrounded West's whole apartment building when Will and Toni arrived. Will frowned, putting the car in park. "Did he say if his neighbors-"

"No," Toni said, glancing at the police tape. "For once I'm hoping it's an officer's inexperience that led to this massive use of tape."

Will nodded; the alternative was too bad to consider.

Detective Harry Reagan approached them as they got out of the car. "After West hung up with you, he checked his neighbor's apartment. Apparently they're all real friendly and he has their key. It's a wreck… and we know why the burglars didn't need West's electronics."

"Great." Will pulled out his notepad. "Who are the neighbors?"

Reagan cleared his throat. "You aren't gonna like this."

Will raised his gaze but said nothing.

"The Kelsons. Carter and Chelsea Kelson." When Will didn't seem to recognize the name, he added, "Of Kelson Cosmetics… We have a publicity nightmare at our fingertips."

"They have a place in Arcadia?" Toni asked.

Reagan nodded. "A vacation home, apparently."

Will nodded. "Great. So now what do we do?"

Reagan shrugged. "Hope we find the perp before the Kelsons find out about the robbery."

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"Seriously, I know you must have _some _feelings for Beth. I mean, you wouldn't have gone through all that trouble if you didn't care about her. Just admit it," Lila prodded.

Kevin shrugged. "It's in the past. I have regrets, sure. Everyone does."

Lila nodded. "Especially guys who cheated on their girlfriends, broke up with them at a huge party, and then treated them like trash even after they visited the guy in the hospital _after _the guy dumped them." She shot him a pointed look.

"There's nothing I can do about it now."

"That's a weak excuse," Lila responded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Even for you."

"What can I say?"

Lila pursed her lips, leaning toward him. "Know what I've noticed about you?" She didn't give him time to answer. "That you complain too much and you won't take the blame for any situations you've caused. You're 20 years old and you still act like a child."

"Don't hold back," Kevin said, a bit hurt.

Lila sighed. "I don't mean to sound mean. I just think you need a reality check, Kevin." She smiled. "I used to be like you. Then I grew up."

Kevin smirked. "You're younger than me."

Lila shrugged, echoing Kevin's words from a moment earlier. "What can I say?"  
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****

COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"Why'd you want to come for this ride again?" Kevin asked Lila as she pulled into Adam's driveway.

"Because I don't have anything else to do. Plus, Adam's dad is a cool guy. I want to see how he's doing."

Kevin smirked. "Close with Adam's father, are you? What have you taught _him_?"

Lila rolled her eyes. "Shut up." She stepped out of the car and went around to the back, pulling out Kevin's wheelchair. "I control how and when you get out of my car, remember?" she teased as she pushed the chair back into position.

"Funny," Kevin said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Aren't I?" she asked as she opened his door and positioned his chair next to the seat.

"Hilarious," he continued as he scooted across his seat and into the chair. "This thing's hard to get out of, by the way."

"It's a Porsche," Lila explained, "and it wasn't meant to be accessible for an out of shape guy in a wheelchair."

"I'm not out of shape."

"Right," Lila said, already walking toward the Roves' front door.

"I'm not," he repeated lamely, moving back and shutting the passenger door.

By the time Kevin caught up with Lila, Carl Rove was at the front door. "Oh, Lila, it's great to see you again. I'm afraid you just missed them though," he was saying.

Kevin frowned. "What do you mean? Joan told me to pick her up here."

"Well, they decided to go back to your house."

"How were they getting there?"

Carl frowned, clearly not having thought about it. "I'm not sure."

"Ergh, oh well." Kevin turned to Lila. "Want to just go to the bank now?"

She shrugged. "Why not."

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"I hope he's still here," Joan said nervously as she opened the door. "I completely forgot he was supposed to pick us up until you said that. God's going to be so mad." She froze, turning to her friends to see their reactions. "I meant 'God, _he's_ going to be so mad.'"

Grace shot her a look. "He'll get over it."

"You don't know Kevin that well," Joan laughed.

"Nobody can stay mad at you, Jane. Take it from me," Adam murmured.

Joan offered Adam a small smile. "I guess."

Grace smirked. "And what's the worst that can happen? Kevin wastes fifty cents on gas?"

"Gas is expensive, yo," Adam responded.

Joan was quiet. What _was _the worst thing that could happened? She'd never disobeyed God before. But then again, nothing had come of her 'befriend Iris' mission, aside from self humiliation. "I guess you have a point," she said slowly, raising her gaze to Grace's.

"Of course I do," Grace said, walking through the door. "Why else would I have opened my mouth if my contribution didn't have a point?" she said, shooting a pointed look over her shoulder at Joan as she entered the house.

Joan groaned. As Adam tried to enter the house, she grabbed his arm. "Wait a minute."

Adam frowned. "Why?"

"Because. Give her two minutes and she'll disappear. She's so with Luke."

"So?"

Joan's eyes widened. "What do you mean, so? Did she _tell you _she was? Why didn't you tell me?"

Adam shook his head. "Nah, it's Grace. Like she said, she doesn't talk if there isn't a point. I just know."

"How?"

"I've known Grace my whole life," Adam shrugged. "You learn to pick up on things when you're friends with someone who won't tell you herself."

"Oh, Joan, you're home. Good. I need you to do me a favor."

Helen's words effectively ended their conversation. "What do you need?"

Helen held out a letter. "Could you drop this off at the school for me?"

"When?"

"Well, now." Helen sighed. "I need to make sure he gets it today."

Joan frowned. "Eww, _Mom._ You want me to actually talk to Mr. Price? Before we have to go back to school? When I don't need to? Can't you do it yourself?" she asked, grabbing Adam's hand and brushing past her mother.

Helen sighed. "Apparently."  
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When Luke's door swung open, he jumped back, surprised by the sudden noise. As he recovered his breath, he glanced up and found Grace standing at his door, smirking.

"Wimp."

Luke swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to the bathroom," she answered, stepping into his room and closing the door behind her.

"Huh? It's down the hall."

Grace turned her eyes upward in apparent frustration. "That's what I'm going to tell your sister I was doing."

"Um, okay," Luke said, thoroughly confused. He wrung his hands together nervously, meeting her gaze. "How was your day?"

Grace heaved a sigh. "You really suck at this, you know that?"

Luke shook his head, not understanding. "At what?"

Grace walked over to him and, catching him off guard, pushed him backward onto his bed. "At this," she said, lowering herself to him and bringing her lips to his.

"Oh," Luke murmured, wrapping his arms around her back. "I guess I need a teacher," he said, returning her kiss.  
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****

COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"I told you she'd disappear," Joan said triumphantly, entering the kitchen with Adam.

Adam frowned. "It's been two minutes, Jane. She might be in the bathroom or something."

Joan sat down at the table. "Yeah, maybe," she said, although it was obvious she didn't believe it. "I still think it's more likely-"

Joan was interrupted by the telephone ringing. "Could you answer that?" she asked Adam, as he was standing next to it.

Adam shrugged, picking up he phone. "Hello?" His face twisted in confusion as he listened to the voice. "Uh, let me get Jane."

"Who is it?" Joan asked, standing up and walking over to Adam.

"I don't know. Some girl. I think she was telling me a riddle."

Joan took the phone from Adam, her brow wrinkled. "Hi?"

"Joan. I was hoping you'd pick up. You know, it's rude to have your guests answer the phone."

"Who is this?"

"I think you already know."

Joan sighed. "What are you doing calling my house?"

"You didn't listen to me."

"Yeah, free will, remember?" Joan lowered her voice, hissing, "The thing you invented, _remember?_"

"Of course. It was one of my proudest moments. But I wish you hadn't chosen _this_ time to ignore me."

Joan looked quickly at Adam, who had turned his full attention to the dripping faucet. "Why not? It's not like anything came of the _last _thing you asked me to do."

"Plenty came from it, Joan. But you don't always see the results of your actions. Look at what happened with Ramsey. Did you _see _the results?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly. No buts."

"So did you just call to yell at me?"

"For the most part. And Joan? Be strong for your mother."

"What?"

There was a click as God disconnected. "My _God,_ I can't believe her," she ranted to Adam, who was still staring at the faucet.

"Jane, look at this," Adam said, as if she hadn't even spoken, "The water looks really cool when it hits the sink."

Joan just stared at him.

Adam blinked. "What?"

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"You don't have to go," Luke insisted, tugging on Grace's arm as she started to get up. "Joan's clueless. She won't even notice you're missing for a few more minutes."

Grace shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "No. She's looking for something between us… What are you smiling at?"

"You said us."

Grace rolled her eyes, getting up and taking a step away from him. "No, I didn't."

Luke shrugged. "Okay."

Grace frowned. "I make out with you and I can't say 'us'?"

"You can," Luke said, still smiling.

"No I can't. Because you're clearly going to analyze it far too deeply, and-"

"Grace?"

She crossed her arms over her stomach, dropping her gaze. "What?"

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but shook his head instead. "You might want to flush the toilet. That way Joan can't argue-"

"I know," she said quickly and cleared her throat. "Are you going to be here the next time I… have to go to the bathroom?"

Luke met her gaze and nodded. "Probably."

"Good," she said, and as Luke watched her whole personality changed. He could see her defenses coming back up in her eyes, her body become more tense and her jaw set.

He watched her as she walked across the room and opened the door, shutting it quietly as she left. He was still thinking of how quickly she'd seemed to transform before his eyes when he heard the toilet flush. He shook his head, the smile returning. "I never asked for normal," he said quietly, getting up and walking over to his computer.

.  
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The halls of Arcadia High were empty. As Helen walked toward the main office, the clacking of her shoes echoed down the hall.

Right before she was about to turn the corner, a yelling halted her mid-step.

"You never _listen_ to me, Gavin! I can't keep doing this! She doesn't listen to a thing I say, and I think sending her away is just what she needs!"

Helen peeked around the corner to see Gavin Price and a blonde woman standing in the middle of the hall. The woman had her arms up in defeat, and Gavin was staring coldly at her, his own arms at his sides.

"She's my _daughter, _Tatiana. I can't just send her away," Gavin said, his words holding just as much feeling as Tatiana's but his voice much calmer. "She'd never forgive me."

Tatiana sighed loudly. "Gavin, she's a _teenager._ She already hates you. She's out of control!"

Gavin shook his head. "Tatiana, give me one more chance. I'll have her go to school here, where I can keep a close eye on her. I can't hurt her again, Tatiana. Not after everything that's happened," he pleaded, his voice breaking.

Tatiana shook her head. "Fine, Gavin. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep living there if she won't start treating me like a _person,_ Gavin. If she doesn't start respecting me…" She trailed off, pausing long enough to gather enough courage to finish, "I'm going to leave."

Tatiana turned on her heel and walked away quickly, and started to run as she turned the corner. Helen flattened herself against the wall, wishing she'd arrived just a moment later.

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"So, Grace, where were you?" Joan asked as Grace entered the kitchen.

"I used the upstairs bathroom, and then I wasn't sure where you went," Grace answered smoothly, plopping into one of the kitchen chairs.

Joan narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you call out for me?"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Not everyone finds screaming necessary, Girardi."

"Whatever." Joan sighed. "Have you seen Luke?"

"No."

Adam shot Joan a look, warning her not to push it.

Joan sighed. "Okay." She looked from Adam to Grace and back. "What do you guys want to do? Watch a movie?"

Adam shrugged. "What movie?"

Grace shook her head. "I don't feel like watching a movie. Isn't there anything else we can do here?"

"Hey, shut up," Joan said, swatting at Grace, "I mean, I haven't been past the kitchen of your house."

Grace shrugged. "I'm a private person."

Joan leaned forward. "Would you let Luke past the kitchen?" she teased.

"Oh yeah," Grace rolled her eyes, "All the way to my bedroom."

"Eww!" Joan cried, shaking her head, "I take it back. Get that thought out of my head."

Adam was laughing and Grace looked awfully proud of herself. "Uh, Jane? Maybe you should stop asking her these questions…"

****

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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Not sure how to approach Gavin Price after overhearing his outburst, Helen had opted to count to 100 before greeting him at his office door.

But now, as she stood in front of him and he stared at her, she wished she'd decided on 500 instead. "Hi," she said, but her voice was too cheerful even to her own ears.

Gavin stared at her a moment longer before gesturing to the inside of his office. "So, how much did you hear?" he asked as they walked inside.

Helen shrugged her shoulders slightly, lowering herself to the chair on the opposite side of his desk. "More than you would've liked me to, probably."

Gavin nodded. "I can't really deny that." He paused as he sat down and shuffled the papers on his desk. "That was my wife, Tatiana. She and my daughter… well, they don't really get along. At all."

"I didn't know you had a daughter. How old is she?"

He smiled, pulling out his wallet and opening it to a picture of a blonde teenage girl. He held it out to Helen. "That's Isabella. She's sixteen."

"She's beautiful." Helen bit her lip, unsure whether or not to continue this conversation. Gavin looked like he needed someone to talk to. "I take it Tatiana's not her mother."

Gavin laughed quietly, pocketing his wallet. "No. I met Tatiana during a vacation to Russia a few years ago."

"Where's Isabella's mother?"

Gavin sighed, suddenly becoming very serious. "I'm not sure. Actually, I don't know who her mother is. When I was a junior in college, I went to answer the door and found Isabella there. She was only a couple days old."

Helen tried to process everything she'd learned, and suddenly her whole opinion of Gavin Price changed. "So you raised her alone?"

Gavin nodded. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Tatiana _is _right. Isabella's gotten pretty out of control lately, but I can't send her to some boarding school. I'm all she has."

.  
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"Why didn't you warn me the bank was going to be this crowded?" Kevin complained as he and Lila waited in line to speak to the teller.

"I did. Repeatedly," Lila said, standing on her tiptoes to look ahead of her. "But having an incompetent teller doesn't help anything," she added loudly.

Kevin squirmed as people turned to look at her. "Can you, uh, not talk so loud?" he asked as a man appeared behind them in line.

"They should give out numbers, like in a deli," the man said, taking Kevin by surprise.

"It would probably be more efficient," Kevin allowed, surprised the man had struck up a conversation.

The man sighed. "I was hoping I could get someone else to come here in my place, but there was no one around. I hate coming to this bank."

"Where do you work?"

"Well, the office is being rebuilt, so I temporarily have an office in Arcadia High School." The man extended his hand, which Kevin shook. "Robert Davidson, the Assistant Sup-"

"Superintendent of Arcadia High," Kevin finished, dropping the man's hand as if it were on fire. "I know who you are. I'm Kevin Girardi."

Understanding lit in the man's eyes as he registered the name, and Kevin looked away.

Lila glanced between the two, confusion evident in her expression. "I don't get it," she started, meeting Kevin's suddenly angry eyes, "How do you know him?"

Robert Davidson cleared his throat, looking at Lila. "Helen Girardi… who I'm guessing is this young man's mother… is an employee at Arcadia High School."

"And Mr. Davidson's responsible for her losing her job," Kevin finished, glaring at the man.

Lila bit her lip, suddenly uncomfortable standing between the two men. "Well, I'm Lila Carson," she introduced herself, offering the man a small smile, "And I'm sure you have a good reason for your decision, but right-"

Her words were cut off as the door was flung open and a man entered, a gun in his hand. As he pointed the gun at random people, Lila gulped. "Right now I think we have a bigger problem," she whispered shakily.

.  
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Will's anger was white-hot, uncontainable, and loud. "What do you _mean _you didn't 'take it seriously?'" he fumed, glaring at a young officer. "I don't care if you've been on the job a day, a month, twenty years! Those aren't your calls to make!"

He'd disassociated from himself so much that he could barely feel Toni tugging on his sleeve, or hear her voice trying to calm him. To him, all that mattered was this uniform had received a very serious tip-off and chosen to _ignore _it. "Right now we have a bank robbery in progress, and you're telling me it all could've been _avoided _if you'd handed the damn phone over to someone with more experience? Goddamnit, Ryan!"

"Come on, _Will._ There's plenty of time for this later! Right now we have to get there, try to co-"

At Toni's words, Will realized she was right. He glared at the officer once more, even as Toni was dragging him out of the precinct and to their cruiser. He didn't understand why anyone would choose to rob _this _bank, especially in the middle of the afternoon. It was less than five minutes from the precinct.

"Get in," Toni was yelling, as she slipped into the driver's seat, already starting the engine. She turned to look at him. "Get _in,_" she repeated loudly, staring at him.

Will nodded, jumping into the car. Before he'd even managed to get his door closed, Toni was pulling out of the station and had turned the sirens on.

His hand went to his gun as the city whizzed by him and he shook his head. "It's probably the same person," he shouted at Toni, thinking of the past robberies. They'd gotten bigger, and more violent. The next logical step was something like this.

Toni nodded, taking a sharp right. "We've got to be prepared, Will. We don't know what he'll do."  
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****

COMMERCIAL BREAK  
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"There's nothing on," Joan complained, tossing the remote back onto the table. "Unless you want to watch a soap."

Grace raised an eyebrow and shook her head in disgust. Adam merely shrugged.

Joan groaned in frustration, glancing at each of her friends. "There's _nothing _to do," she cried, letting her head fall back against the couch.

"Why don't we get out of here? We can go somewhere. Anywhere," Grace suggested, glancing at Joan. "You have the car, right?"

Joan shook her head. "The transmission's dead. And my mom took the only other-" She froze, an idea suddenly hitting her. "Kevin!" she said, grabbing her cell phone, "He can take us."

Grace gave Joan a look that was pretty easy to interpret. Why would Kevin take them anywhere after they'd disappeared on him?

"Well, we can at least try," Joan said quickly, already dialing his number.

"Right."

Joan brought the phone to her ear as it rang. "It's worth a shot," she told Grace, "Maybe he doesn't have anything else to do."

The phone clicked on and she frowned at the lack of a greeting. "God, I'm sorry. Can you be any ruder?"

"Joan," she heard Kevin say quietly, and something in his voice made her go still.

"Where are you?"

"The ban-"

Suddenly there was another voice on the line, one that was clearly not Kevin's. "Hello?"

Joan frowned, confused. "Hi. Can I speak to my brother?"

The man's answer was drowned out by Luke's footsteps, racing down the stairs. "Joan! Joan!" Luke shouted, running into the room, "Put on the news! Quick!"

But he'd already grabbed the remote and put the television on ABC.

"-of the police has changed this robbery into a hostage situation," the reporter was saying, situated safely behind her news desk. "We've got helicopter coverage of the bank…"

Joan gripped the phone tightly as an aerial image of Arcadia Savings Bank appeared on the television, telling red and blue lights surrounding it. She stared at the phone in horror, suddenly realizing what must've happened. "Kevin's there," she told Luke quietly, handing him the phone, "And there's someone who's definitely not Kevin on the phone."

.  
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Kevin stared at the man in front of him, never having wished he could stand on his own two legs more. Maybe if he could walk he could do something, wrestle the man to the floor, emerge the hero.

He looked around at the people sitting on the floor around him. There were twenty-four people in all, including himself and the six bank employees. This wasn't going to end well, he could tell right now.

Lila had grabbed his hand at some point and he squeezed it tightly, hoping she could translate his message. _Stay calm._

The man brought the phone back to his ear with a smile. "And who are you?" he asked Joan, and Lila's hand tightened in his own.

He wished Joan would just hang up. But as the man's eyes lit up he realized that she'd just provided him with the last piece of information she ever should've.

"Girardi?" he said, a smile forming on his face, "The cop's kid?

Kevin squeezed his eyes shut and Lila let out a small squeak as everyone in the room looked at him, the fear evident in their eyes.

The man dropped the phone to his side, not bothering to close it. "I just had a nice conversation with your brother," he said, bearing his yellow teeth as he smiled, "And it seems to be my lucky day." He turned to everyone else, waving the hand that still held the gun at them. "You can all go. I've got all the protection I need."

Kevin dropped Lila's hand quickly, trying to let her know it was okay to go. It was safer. But her eyes searched his a moment too long, and as she hesitated, Kevin's heart sank. She wasn't leaving.

The man turned his gaze on her and his eyes traveled up and down her body. "You don't have to go, beauty," he said, still leering at her, "I'm sure I can think of something to do with you."

Kevin watched as everyone walked cautiously to the door, and reaching it, ran to safety. He looked back at Lila, taking in her long, tanned legs, barely covered by her white miniskirt. Her lavender halter top showed even more skin, cut low in front and not quite reaching her skirt, leaving a couple inches of her midriff showing.

Kevin raised his gaze to the man, suddenly sick to his stomach as he caught the man's words.

.  
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"Thank you for doing this for me," Helen said, standing up and excusing herself, "I really appreciate it."

Gavin nodded. "I'll talk to him and see what I can do. I can't promise you anything, but…"

"Thank you," Helen smiled, starting for the door.

The phone on Gavin Price's desk rang and Helen hurried from the room, already having intruded on her coworkers life enough for one day.

"Helen!" she heard him call, and halted in her steps.

She turned around and glanced at him. "What?"

"It's for you," he said, and as he held out the phone, Helen noticed the color had disappeared from his face.

She reached for the phone and instinctively knew it was her daughter. "Joan? What's wrong?"

Helen glanced at Gavin when her daughter wouldn't answer, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. "Joan?" she repeated.

"Mom," Joan said, and Helen realized her daughter was crying. "Something happened. Come home."

Helen's eyes widened. "Honey, what is it? What's going on? Are you sick again? Is Luke okay?"

"Kevin," Joan croaked, her voice breaking all over again, "He's at the bank."

Helen frowned. "What's going on, Joan?"

"Luke's on the phone with the guy, Mom. Put on a TV. There's-" Joan broke off again. "Mom, Kevin's a hostage."

Helen's knees gave out and she collapsed back into the chair. She allowed herself a moment and then leaned forward, her head swimming with thoughts. "There isn't a TV here, Joan. This is what I want you to do…"

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Grace and Adam had engaged in some kind of weird staring contest as the Girardis talked. Adam had moved from the couch to an armchair so Luke could sit down, and now Grace sat sandwiched between the two very nervous Girardis, her gaze boring into Adam's.

The world had spun out of control, and now Grace just listened like an outsider as her best friend and her- whatever Luke was- made the hardest phone calls of their lives.

"Daddy," she heard Joan saying, as if from a distance, "He's got Kevin," she said, her voice oddly babyish.

Luke, on the other hand, had lapsed into a strained silence, but his concentration seemed to be on hearing a pin drop on the other end of Joan's cell phone, his grasp on the phone so tight his knuckles had gone white.

Adam blinked, their unplanned staring contest ended, but there was nothing triumphant about the way Grace felt. In fact, she continued to stare at him as if nothing had happened.

"Luke's on the phone with him. He has Kevin's cell phone."

Grace felt Luke tense next to her, and she realized the robber must've come back to the phone. She tensed herself, uncomfortable between them, unsure what she should do.

"What's your name?" she heard Luke asking, his voice oddly hollow, "It's okay. I'm not on anyone's side."

Her gaze flickered over Luke's face, and she realized why he was still on the line, why he hadn't hung up. It was the instincts of a policeman's son that kept him talking, that kept him trying to keep the man calm.

"Nothing's happened yet. You don't have to do anything. In fact, right now your charges aren't that serious… well, they're serious, but they aren't _serious _jail time. You said you never actually robbed the bank, right?"

Adam was still watching her, but suddenly everything she'd been worrying about earlier seemed so trivial. She threaded her fingers through Luke's and he glanced at her. He didn't smile, or even act as if he'd noticed the gesture, but he kept his gaze on her.

Suddenly Joan snapped her own phone shut and looked at Luke. "A cop's gonna come to get you. Don't hang up," she said quietly.

Luke nodded, but otherwise acted as if he hadn't heard her. He turned his attention back to the phone and spoke calmly. "You see, it's all right. Right now, as long as no one gets hurt, you can't be charged with any _major _felonies…" Luke trailed off, and a moment later, his eyes widened. "What do you mean you've got a girl there with you, too?"  
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****

COMMERCIAL BREAK

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Will set his jaw as his gaze drifted to the bank's window, which had been covered by blinds. It had been a different situation before his daughter called, before he knew the identity of the remaining hostages.

He realized Toni was staring at him and met her gaze. She was quiet for a minute, but Will already knew what she was going to say.

"I think you should go home," she said finally, daring to meet his gaze.

Will shook his head. "My son-"

"Is in that building. As a hostage, Will. You can't look at this from an uninvolved angle. You can't…" She trailed off, biting her lip. "Will, you're too close to the situation. Go home."

Will's eyes widened. "Too _close _to the _situation_, Toni? Who are you? This is my son we're talking about! I'm not going to leave."

"Okay, then. Stay for a while. But go home when Luke does, even if Kevin's not out then."

"I'm not going to trade one son for the other."

Toni frowned. "I didn't say you were, Will. I just think-"

"Kevin's my son, Toni. I know you don't have kids, but that has to mean something to you. I can't just stand back and do nothing. I couldn't forgive myself if…" Will trailed off, but they both knew the end of that sentence. If something happened. If Kevin got hurt. If he died.

Toni sighed, glancing at the bank. "Fine. You stay, but you stay _here._ You don't negotiate, you don't enter that building, you don't-"

"You aren't my superior, Toni," he interrupted.

Toni sighed. "No. But I'm your partner."

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"Oh, God, Joan," Helen said, rushing into the house. "Are you okay?" she asked as she entered the living room, where her daughter sat, her head against Adam's shoulder.

Joan looked up and nodded slowly. "Yeah. A cop took Luke to the bank. Are we gonna-"

Helen shook her head quickly and sat down next to her daughter. "We don't want more people there. That won't help anyone."

Grace stood up suddenly and grabbed Adam's hand, dragging him behind her. "We'll leave so we aren't in your way," she said.

Helen forced a smile and shook her head. "No, you can stay. I'm sure Joan wants her friends here…"

Grace frowned but sat back down. Adam followed suit, squeezing in next to Grace.

Joan met Helen's gaze, her eyes watering. "I'm scared," she murmured, leaning in toward Helen.

Helen wrapped her daughter in her hands. "It's all gonna be all right," she said, the southern accent coming back to her voice like it always did when she was nervous.

Joan shook her head. "No, it's not. It's all my fault."

Helen frowned, running a hand through her daughter's hair in a soothing gesture.

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To think only an hour before, Kevin's biggest complaint had been a line that wouldn't move. He glanced down at Lila, who'd long since given up on talking the guy into releasing them.

She was kneeling on the floor, her head down. It made Kevin uncomfortable to see her this beaten, already positioned in some sort of executioner's pose.

He looked toward the bathroom, where their captor had disappeared a moment before.

Lila followed his gaze. "You can go, you know."

He could. He could risk flight, escape into safety, or die trying. But that would mean leaving Lila here and after she'd stayed behind with him, that wasn't an option.

His eyes fell on the column behind her, which until now, had only been used as a decorative piece. From his angle, he couldn't see her hands, but he'd watched the man hold them behind the column and handcuff them together.

"I'll be fine," Lila whispered, but the bathroom door was opening.

The man walked over to them slowly, his eyes on Kevin. "How long does this kind of thing usually last?" he asked nervously.

Kevin shrugged. "Ask my brother. He's a statistical genius."

The man nodded, bringing the phone back to his ear. "I wish he was here instead of you. I like him better anyway."

Lila shifted uncomfortably, and Kevin realized she must be kicking herself for wearing a skirt today.

The man watched her closely as she moved, her shirt tightening across her breasts as her arms strained behind her.

Kevin glared at the man, who knelt down next to Lila. "My name's Nate," he said, resting his hand on Lila's shoulder. "I think we can be friends, don't you?"

Lila smiled tightly, her gaze flickering over his hand. She met his gaze calmly. "Only if you unlock the handcuffs," she said, her voice cool.  
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****

TO BE CONTINUED…  
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End file.
